10 Great Ways to Show Youre Grateful Today
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus
Have you said thank-you to someone to show how grateful you are for them today? It’s such a small thing, but it can have a huge impact on your life, and the life of that person.
Find little ways to incorporate gratitude in your life, and you’ll be much happier … and you’ll make the people around you much happier as well. That’ll have a ripple effect that will make the world a better place … with such a small gesture!
Saying thank you isn’t hard at all. But the words can lose meaning if they’re just words. You need to say them with sincerity, or show your gratitude through little actions.
Can you imagine a world where everyone showed gratitude? If someone did you a kindness, you’d give them a warm smile and say thank you. If you were having a bad day, someone else would take time out of her life to comfort you, out of gratitude for a kindness you did her yesterday. People would still get angry, or sad, but would know to find ways to be grateful, even in difficult situations.
I know, I know … I’m an idealist, and such a world will never exist. But that’s OK. I can accept the world as it is … and at the same time, show my gratitude for what a wonderful world we have. And what wonderful people (such as you guys) are in my life. And in doing so, my little acts of gratitude will radiate throughout the world, changing it in subtle but profound ways.
Corny? Perhaps. I can be corny at times. But let me tell you: incorporating gratitude in my life (even if I’m not always successful at it) has changed me and has made me happier. I recommend it heartily.
For those who’d like to do little things to show their gratitude, to a specific person or to life in general, here are a few ideas that work for me:
1. Create a Gratitude Ritual. As I described in an earlier post on this topic, on many mornings I do a little ritual: I just close my eyes, and take a couple of minutes to think of the people and things I’m grateful for. That includes those who’ve donated to this site, as well as all you readers. And of course, my loved ones, and others in my life.
2. Send a thank-you note. You know, it’s nice to get a little note thanking you for something you did. You don’t need to send someone a formal thank-you card (although that’s a nice touch), but just a little note (or email) saying thank you for a specific thing the person has done for you can go a long way. And it only takes a minute!
3. Give a free hug. OK, only do this when appropriate … but if you have a loved one in your life, give them a hug! Often we can go too long without showing our affection and gratitude, even to those who are closest to us. Don’t neglect this important part of your relationship. By “free” hug, I mean don’t expect anything in return — just give it as a gift of gratitude. If you give a hug to a stranger, be prepared to run very fast afterward.
4. Give thanks for today! You don’t even have to thank a person … you can thank life itself! Wake up, and greet the day with gratitude. Be thankful you’re alive!
I’ve printed this before, but here’s a favorite gratitude prayer of mine by the Dalai Lama, who tells us: “Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’ ”
5. Do someone a free favor. Without expecting anything in return, do something nice for someone. Just something small. Get them a drink or a coffee, do a chore for them, offer to do an errand, anything they’d appreciate, really. Think of what the person likes, wants or needs, and try to do something (even something small) to help them. Actions speak louder than words, and doing something nice will show you’re grateful more than just saying it.
6. Give a little gift. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but a little gift can be a tremendous gesture. Here are 30 ideas.
7. Give someone a list of all they’ve done that you’re grateful for. Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 or 50 things you love about someone, or things they’ve done for you that you appreciate.
8. Acknowledge them publicly. Who doesn’t love public praise? Find a way to acknowledge the contributions of someone, to show your gratitude, in a public way … in your office, among friends and family, on your blog, in your local newspaper.
9. Surprise them with kindness. Actually, this is mostly the same as Item #5, but with a twist: surprise the person. That little extra step of surprising them can make a big difference. When your wife comes home from work, have a lovely dinner prepared. When your mom walks out her front door in the morning, have her car nice and clean. When your daughter opens her lunch pail, have a little note and a treat waiting for her. You get the idea.
10. Say thanks even for negative things in your life. This is the hard part, in truth. When things go wrong, when we’re not happy, when people are mean to us, when we are worn down by the million slings and arrows of everyday life … we don’t want to say thank you. But in truth, this is the time when it matters most. If you’ve mastered the first 9 items on this list, you’re ready to master this one.
When life gets you down, when your hurt or angry or confused or frustrated, take a moment to stop and close your eyes and find things to be thankful for. Your health, your family, your job, the roof over your head, the fact that you’ll have a next meal, the beauty of the world around you, the good people in your life, your new Macintosh computer. Whatever you can think of, be thankful for them … and express that gratitude somehow. Realize that all is not bad in this world, and be happy for that.
And then, when you’ve mastered that skill, think of the negative things in your life … and give thanks for them. That person who was mean to you? Thank them for teaching you patience and understanding. That dog that tore up your trash? Thank him for teaching you humility as you pick up the trash. The natural disaster you went through? Thank it for reminding you of what is important in life. The illness you are going through? Thank it for making you stronger.
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译文：
十种感恩的好方法
“聪明人不会为自己没有的东西而怨天尤人，而是为自己所拥有的东西而欢欣鼓舞。”——爱比克泰德
今天，你是否对某个人说出了“谢谢”，以此来表达你的感激之情？虽然这只是微不足道的一件事情，却会对你的生活产生巨大的影响，也会让对方的生活发生巨大的改变。
想一些小方法来收集你生活中的感激之情，你就会更加快乐，同时也会让你身边的人感到更快乐。这样的涟漪效应会让世界变得更美好。而你要做的，仅仅是这样一个小小的行动！
其实，要说出“谢谢”一点也不难。但如果仅仅是为了说出感谢而感谢，“谢谢”这两个字也就失去了其应有的意义。你得真诚地说出这个词，或者是用一些小行动来表示你的感激之情。
你能想象一个人人都能表达感激之情的世界吗？如果某人帮了你一个忙，你就要给他一个热情的微笑，并对他说出“谢谢”。如果你某一天过得很糟糕，而就在这时，有人搁下了自己的事情来安慰你，而她这样做，仅仅是为了感谢你昨天帮了她一个忙。人总是会生气，会伤心，但即使是在困难的境况下，也应该找到表达感激的方式。
我知道我是一个理想主义者，这样的世界并不存在。但不要紧，我能接受现实中的这个世界。同时，我也会为我们所拥有的这个美好世界而感恩。况且，在我的生命中，还有如此多的可爱的人们（比如你们这些朋友）。而就是这样，我表示感激的小行动就会影响到到四面八方，让世界发生微小却又深刻的改变。
你认为我天真吗？也许是吧。我有时是很天真。但我要告诉你：即使我并不总能成功地收集到生命中的感激之情，但这样的做法已经改变了我，使我感到更快乐。我真诚地向大家推荐这种方式。
有人想要通过做一些小事，对一个特定的人或是对整个人生表示感激。对于这些人，我有如下的建议，这些主意对我来说很有用。
1．让感激成为习惯。我曾经在有关这个主题的帖子中写到过，我经常在早上履行这样的例行公事：闭上双眼，花几分钟来想想我要感激的人和事，包括那些为这个网站做出了贡献的人们以及你们这些读者朋友们，当然还有我所爱的人和我生命中的其他人。
2．送出一份表示感谢的小纸条。要知道，一张表示感谢的纸条会让人很高兴。虽然寄一张正式的感谢卡也会让人很感动，但没这个必要。你可以写一张小纸条，或是发一封电子邮件，借此感谢他们为你所做的一切，这就足够了。况且，这只需要几分钟的时间！
3．给一个“免费”的拥抱。不过，你得在合适的场合做出这个动作。但如果有人是你生命中的挚爱，那么，请给他们一个拥抱！往往，我们绕了一个大圈子，却忘了对我们身边的人，甚至是对我们最亲近的人，表达出我们的爱和感激。这是感情中非常重要的一部分，千万不要忽略了。我所说的“免费”拥抱，是指不求任何回报的拥抱，因为这仅仅是用来表示感激的一份礼物。如果你把拥抱给了一位陌生人，那就做好准备，抱完之后赶快跑吧。
4．为今天而感恩。你要感谢的甚至可以不是一个人——你可以感谢生活本身！当你醒来时，要用感激迎来新的一天。感谢你还活着！
我以前也写过这些，而下面则是我最崇敬的一位僧人教给我们的感恩祷文：“每天，当你醒来时，想想：今天我醒来了，真幸运，我还活着，我拥有珍贵的生命，我不会把它浪费掉。我要用尽所有的力量来发展自己，将我的心传递给他人，为普渡众生而追求顿悟，我要相信每个人都是好人，我不会生气，也不会把他人想得很坏。我要尽我所能地做有利于他人的事情。”
5．无偿地帮助他人。不求回报地为别人做点好事——一点小事足矣。给他们一杯饮料或咖啡，为他们做些杂事或是主动跑跑腿。说真的，只要能让他们感激就行。想一下对方喜欢什么，想要什么，或是需要什么，尽量做一些事情来帮助他们，即使是一些微不足道的事也行。行动胜于言语——做点好事要比只说不做更能表达你的感激之情。
6．送一份小礼物。礼物不一定要很花哨或是很昂贵，一份小小的礼物就可以表示一份大大的心意。下面是我的三十个主意。
7．给对方一份清单，列出他们所做过的让你感激的事情。花五分钟列出清单，写下对方身上值得你爱的许多地方，或是他们做过的值得你感激的事情。
8．公开致谢。谁不喜欢被公开表扬？选个方式公开感谢他人的付出——可以在你的办公室里，可以在朋友或家庭成员之间，可以在你的博客上，也可以在当地的报纸上。
9．做件好事给他们惊喜。这一条实际上和第五条很相似，但不一样的是：要给对方一个惊喜。这个让人惊喜的小步骤可以引起巨大的变化。当你的妻子下班回家时，会发现你已经为她准备了一顿美美的晚餐；当你的妈妈早上出门时，会看到你已经帮她把车打理得又干净又漂亮；当你的女儿打开午餐饭盒时，首先映入她眼帘的是你留给她的一张小纸条和一顿大餐。现在你明白了吧。
10．即使是对生活中的坏事，也要表示感激。老实说，这一点是最难做到的。在现实生活中，事情有可能进展得不顺利，我们的心情有时会很糟糕，他人也有伤害我们的时候，日常生活中数不清的烦心事倒霉事也常常压得我们喘不过气来……在这些时候，我们并不想说出“谢谢”这两个字。但说实话，这时，最重要的也就是说出“谢谢”二字。如果你已经掌握了本文中发前九条，那你也能很快地掌握这一条了。
当生活将你打倒时，当你受到伤害，感到愤怒、困惑，或是遭受挫折时，花一点时间来停下手边的工作，闭上眼睛，想想有什么值得你感激的，例如：健康、家庭、工作、头上的房顶、足以果腹的食物、世界的美好、身边的好人、新买的苹果电脑，等等。无论你想到了什么，都要对他们表示感激，并以某种方式来表达你的感激之情。你要认识到，这个世界并不是那么糟糕，你应该为此感到快乐。
在掌握了这个技能之后，你就应该想想生活中不如意的事情，并对其表示感激。对于那些伤害过你的人，要感谢他们教会了你耐心和理解；对于撕坏你丟棄不要的東西袋的狗，要感谢它帮助你在拾丟棄不要的東西的过程中学会了谦卑；对于你遭受过的自然灾害，要感谢它提醒了你生命中什么才是重要的；而对于你经历过的疾病，要感谢它让你变得更加坚强。
