Being grateful for what you have is an art to achieve a state of ultimate happiness and satisfaction in life no matter what.

With gratitude, people can recognize their blessings and develop positive emotions rather than looking for things to make them happier.

However, it’s a human nature to run after the things we don’t have and focusing on what’s not going well.       

Well-said by the great philosopher Epicurus:

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

Learning gratitude can help people to enjoy what they have than counting what they lack. Even though the researches show that practicing gratitude can be good for your emotional, physical as well as social well-being.

Though, being thankful and keep positive appreciation is more difficult to attain in hard times and requires practice to be in grateful mind state.

Follow the below tips to learn being grateful each day and you’ll be no more complaining about life:

Make a Gratitude Diary

World’s leading expert on gratitude Robert Emmons, an author of Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, has specified that writing a gratitude journal for the things we’re thankful can really do the benefits.

Making a gratitude diary is something can reinforce the positive thoughts when our brain only used to focus on the bad.

Keep aside just 10 minutes a day to remind yourself of good things or events and note it down in a piece of paper.

Whenever you feel negative, reread what you wrote to feel lucky enough to have the things or people in your life.

Though, it seems like a task initially, but the more you commit to doing it, the more being grateful will become a habit.

You’re free to pick the time for gratitude diary but, I prefer in the morning since a grateful start of the day is always boosting!

Be grateful for bad times

While focusing on the goods is often linked up with gratitude, it’s also important to accept and learn from the setbacks of your journey.

Recall the difficult times you once experienced and think how they have shaped you into the person you’re today.

This mind state helps you to be grateful for the current time and prepare you for further challenges.

Thank people for bad experience because that is when you learn something in life for a better future, beating hard times will only bring stress.

Be grateful for bad times, learn lessons from it and move on!

Count your blessings

The next time you think about the car you don’t have, think about the scooter you have from your own savings.

In this fast life, we often think we don’t have much compare to others and when someone criticizes us for it, we feel less blessed and start overthinking.

Instead, draw your attention to less fortune people than you who don’t even have scooter or cycle, you’ll be thankful for what you have.

Stay blissful for every little thing that gives you happy moments. In fact, calming nature and the company of a good friend is not a small thing for you to be thankful.

Rather than watching what’s missing, count your blessing to be happier in life.

Live gratefulness in action

Thinking only is not going to work, you have to live gratefulness in action too. Take a pause to say “I am grateful for” to make a positive difference in your life.

This can be anything, like sharing grateful moments with your people or saying the positive words about how grateful you are to have something.

You can also write a thank you note to the people who make a bliss happen in your life. For example, thanking every people responsible for the food you eat or a coffee you drink.

Furthermore, instead of negative words, talk positive about the small blessing in your life and believe you’re lucky for it.

Understand, action speaks louder, so learning gratitude too.

Appreciate the people you love

Robert Emmons says that practicing gratitude for the people or experiences is more blissful than material items we do proud on.

Spend time with your close people and appreciate their small efforts to make a difference in your life.

When you let your loved ones know that you’re grateful to have them, you eventually build a strong social relationship with them.

You can handover the appreciation notes to your mom for being so careful or say “thank you” to your colleague for helping in the documentation.

From your made, storekeeper to family, everyone that makes your life easy deserves a gratitude note. Appreciation can be in any form, either in the mail, a note or verbal, you just need to show it.

A little expression of thankfulness towards other people can lighten up their day as well as do wonders with your grateful attitude.

Perform a small act of kindness

A small act of kindness does a big change when it comes to being grateful and thankful people know that helping out someone is an opportunity for it.

Whether it’s cleaning at home or giving compliments, no matter how capable you are for, you can give helping hands to others as per your capacity.

Is someone need healing? Pamper by your words. Need help in carrying groceries? Help them out.

Any type of kindness related to mind, soul, body or money is help with an opportunity to make you and the other person happy. And, if nothing you can do, then simply give your smiles to others.

After all, giving always satisfies a person than receiving…

Do prayers or meditation

If you’re spiritually sound, then prayers are the most powerful way to cultivate gratefulness by connecting with nature or higher power.

In prayers, the positive atmosphere around let you notice the good part of your life and you ultimately thank the God for it.

Meditation or say mindfulness is, either way, to be in the present moment and being thankful for life.

Take a break from your busy life, sit in a peaceful manner and focus on being grateful for the present’s goodness.

Doing this every day for at least 10 minutes can rewire your brain to naturally be grateful and happier for what you are and what you have.

Find your way of happiness

It’s important to find your own way of happiness because being grateful can make you happy, but being happy is also one way to feel grateful.

Do the things which can lift your mood to easily learn gratitude. This can include exercises, yoga, painting, cooking or just sitting amidst nature and praising it.

That means anything you enjoy or keeps you happy is the trick to be more grateful each day.

Additionally, you need to mindfully do the check on social media as there is so many competitive statuses to harm your self-esteem and happiness. However, you can catch the positive thoughts you see and pin it to trigger smiles on face.

Once you get to cheer up, being grateful will become easier than you think.

Challenge yourself

To make gratitude a part of life, you have to be firm in doing things that lead you to its way. Start looking for new situations and circumstances in which you can be grateful.

In an effort of being grateful, catch yourself thinking on past or future and gently remind of present moments and its worth.

Don’t allow negativity to take over you and when you realize being negative, immediately do something else to divert your mind.

With practice, you’ll soon become a grateful person.

Suggested read: How to stop worrying about what others think of you

Freaky Thought’s upshot

Don’t complain about your life. Everyone has a different life and it’s not perfect. Develop an attitude of being grateful for everything and every situation in life.

Life will never be a fair play and gratitude can help you to be positive and happy every time.

Hope that you’ll be able to add gratitude into your daily life with these key points. Remember, everyone has at least one thing to be grateful for. So what are you grateful for today?