It's easy to be grateful for the big moments in your life, but in the day-to-day craziness, sometimes we forget to be grateful for all of the people and the little things in life that make us happy. Plus expressing your gratitude can help you feel less stress and more happiness.
It's always great to remember all the good things in your life, so here are 4 tips for finding more gratitude:
1. Be thankful for what DIDN'T happen.
No matter how bad things are, they could almost always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what could have happened but didn't. You may not be thankful for everything in your life, but you can always be thankful for something.
Find more tips like this in Learning to Dance in the Rain by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher.
2. Don't hold on to your anger or hurt.
Though you may not realize it, you are always choosing between two ways of perceiving: Looking to the world for reasons to be upset, or looking in your heart for reasons to be happy. You can't be upset and grateful at the same time, and life is too short to look for reasons to be upset. Try to remember that patience and tolerance bring you happiness, while anger and hatred bring you suffering.
Find more tips like this in Smile for No Good Reason by Dr. Lee Jampolsky.
3. Savor life's little moments.
Italian poet and novelist Cesare Pavese once said, "We do not remember days; we remember moments." At today's hectic pace, however, we often forget to live in the moment, to just be. And by just being, by just soaking up a beautiful moment, we can find some of life's greatest pleasures.
Find more tips like this in The Road to Happiness by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher.
4. Express your gratitude by living it.
Expressing gratitude brings even more things to be grateful for. No matter what's going on around you, look for things to appreciate, and then express your appreciation. You don't spread gratitude by preaching or scolding—you spread it by living it. Every moment. Every hour. Every day. John F. Kennedy said it best, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
Find more tips like this in Learning to Dance in the Rain by Mac Anderson and BJ Gallagher.
Finding something to be grateful for and expressing your gratitude helps you find more happiness in your life (and you can spread that happiness and attitude of gratitude on to others). So show your friends and family how much you appreciate them, and show your appreciation for life's perfect little moments.
For even more tips for and reminders about having an attitude of gratitude, check out our gratitude books.