Getting into the habit of being grateful can have such a positive effect on our lives both at home and at work. A little bit of appreciation goes a long way. Here are some useful tips to help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude, provided by presenter, author and Director of The Learning Architect, Liggy Webb.

Decide to be grateful. It is entirely your choice whether you want to become a grateful person. If you decide to be a grateful person, then be it. No matter what happens to you, it is still up to you to decide how you want to respond. So make the decision now to be a grateful person. Appreciate life. It is estimated that 106 billion people have been born on Earth, with six billion living today. Life expectancy in most of human history is only 20-35 years. And most of those years were spent in disease, poverty, and misery. Only in the last century has human life expectancy increased significantly.

Seek out the good things. Sometimes we see only the bad things that happen in our life and overlook the good things. Open your eyes and be observant of those good things. Dedicate time each day to simply focusing on positive things and seek out something that will make you smile. Wake up with an attitude of gratitude. You can train your mind to focus on anything you like. When you wake up, you immediately begin to consciously programme your subconscious mind on how your day will be. If you tell yourself that you are going to have a bad/stressful day, then you will, because your subconscious mind will believe anything your conscious mind tells it. Turn any negative thought around and discipline yourself to start every day with a positive and appreciative thought. Introduce vitamin G. I mentioned at the beginning of the book the concept of Vitamin G (Vitamin Gratitude). A great way to do this is to have a gratitude stone by your bedside table or by your toothpaste, and remember to take it in your hand each morning and reflect upon what you are grateful for. Do this every day for a month and it will become embedded as a new habit and you will start to notice how good it makes you feel. Keep a gratitude journal. Take vitamin G one step further and write the good things that happen in your life in a journal, especially those which impress you. When life looks dark and it’s difficult for you to be grateful, open and read your journal. Dwelling on the happy positive stuff will help you to realise how wonderful life can be and will be again. This is great to do before you go to bed at night.

See problems as “probortunities”. Out of every problematic situation there is an opportunity. You can choose to focus on the problem or the solution. This might be difficult for some people – however, I firmly recommend it. At the very least, bad things give you valuable lessons you can be grateful for. When you have this mindset, it’s easier to see the good things you can get out of something difficult and challenging. This way you will always have reasons to be grateful. Get into the habit of saying thank you. Do you always remember to say thank you? Are there times you forget because you are too busy? Perhaps when someone has sent you a gift you haven’t let them know how much you appreciated it. Perhaps, when you have been to dinner at someone’s house, the next day you forget to let them know how much you enjoyed it. Even the routine things that your family or partner does, do you take it in your stride without acknowledgement? No one likes being taking for granted, so make sure that saying thank you is part of the daily fabric of your life.

Say thank you and mean it. Also make sure that saying thank you isn’t a chore in your mind. Heartfelt sincere thanks are tangible and not an obligation. When you say thank you to someone, look them in the eyes and mean it! A small gesture like that could make all the difference to someone whose day will glow a little brighter for being acknowledged and appreciated. Do highlights. Getting into the habit of focusing on the best bits and highlighting three things that made you appreciative and happy is a wonderful way to summarise your day. For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. By Ralph Waldo Emerson