10 Simple Ways to Express Gratitude

Being thankful to someone and showing them how grateful you are may seem like a small thing, but it can have a massive impact on someone’s life.

Can you imagine a world where everyone was grateful for the things that were done for them? Even a simple act of kindness, like a smile for example, could brighten someone’s day and make them want to help again in the future.

You can make your life – and the world – better by expressing your gratitude!

Try these 10 Simple Ways to Express Gratitude:

1. Send a note saying thank you. Sometimes it is nice to read about how thankful a person is. Taking the time to write something down rather than just sending a text message makes it more personal too.

2. Give them a hug. You can only do this where appropriate, but if you’re feeling grateful about something, it’s okay to give your family or close friends a hug. Of course, not everyone will be receptive of a hug, so ensure that you know how they are going to react beforehand.

3. Offer a free favor. Even if it is something small, do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. Think of what the person wants or needs and do your best to help, even if it is just making a cup of coffee or doing a small chore

Actions speak louder than words, and this simple act will show how grateful you are.

4. Give a little gift. A bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates won’t cost much, but the act of giving them shows that you’ve thought about the person and that you are grateful for what they do for you.

5. Be happy for their achievements. Show someone how pleased you are with their achievement. A nice handwritten card or some flowers would be a nice thought.

6. Write a list. This will only take 5-10 minutes but will show just how much you care. Sit down with a pen and paper and make a list of 10 or more things that you love about someone. Mention the things that they do for you that you are grateful for. Send that list to them.

7. Give them public acknowledgement. Not everyone will love being made a fuss of in public, but for some, public praise would be appreciated. This works especially well if you’re the boss and those you wish to offer gratitude to are your employees.

8. Just be there. Always be available for those you care about, even when things are not going well for you. When you are supportive of others, you are showing how much you care and that you’re grateful for the times they were there to support you.

9. Surprise them with kindness. This works especially well with your partner. Surprise them with a lovely dinner or clean the house when they go out shopping. These simple tasks will mean a lot to someone, especially if they are busy or stressed with very little spare time.

10. Look for the good in every situation. You may not always feel grateful for the things that are going on in your life. Especially if you feel as though things are going wrong. However, now is the time to be most grateful.

Look for those little things that are going right for you. Focus on these positives and be grateful for them. They can help take your mind off any negatives.

Notice the little things that others do for you, even in unpleasant situations. Let them know that they made a positive difference.

10 Simple Ways to Express Gratitude. You don’t have to make grand gestures to express gratitude. Even the smallest act can show someone how thankful you are.

5 Methods to Simplify Your Life

We only have so much room in our lives. Whether it is our mental space, physical space, or calendar space, everything we do, everything we buy, and everyone we spend time with takes up this space.

When you simplify your life, you will have more time, space, and energy to do the things you actually want to do!

Try these methods to simplify your life:

1. Declutter your house. The environment you spend time in has an effect on how you feel, both physically and psychologically. If you’re wasting time looking for misplaced items or feeling overwhelmed when you open a cupboard, a change is in order.

Once you start to organize your belongings, you’ll start to feel more productive and energetic.

Start with one room and then ask yourself whether you feel better or not.

2. Lose those negative mental habits. Negative mental activities, such as feeling sorry for yourself or dwelling on the past, can carry a lot of psychological weight and leave you feeling drained.

You can clear this mental clutter by focusing on healthier thoughts, for example, gratitude, self-compassion and realistic self-talk.

If you catch yourself thinking negatively, stop yourself by taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that it isn’t helpful. Then, switch your thoughts to something that makes you feel happier.

As you practice this technique, it becomes easier and easier until focusing on the positive becomes a habit.

3. Cut out toxic people. We all have that friend or family member who only sees problems and never any solution. These negative people can take up valuable space in your life.

Avoid cutting people out of your life just because they are going through a tough time. However, it is important to set boundaries too.

Even if you don’t spend too much time together, if the time you do spend together leaves you feeling exhausted, then sometimes the best thing to do for your own mental health is to sever your ties.

4. Take control of your money. When you don’t control your money, your money begins to control you, instead. When that happens, it takes up too much space in your life.

Make the decision to take charge of your finances, create a budget, and stick to it. Once you have done this, making future financial decisions will be much simpler, and you won’t be spending as much time and energy worrying about your money.

5. Prioritize your time. Time is your most valuable resource. When you consider how much of your time you spend complaining, scrolling through social media, or just waiting for something to happen, you’ll find that you’ve been wasting many precious moments.

Instead of letting timewasters take up your space, make a schedule and do the things that matter most to you!

Make time for yourself to go for a walk, play with your children, or watch the sunset. Many simple things in life make up some of our most valuable moments. Don’t let the clutter cut these precious experiences out of your life!

Life can be complicated at times, and while it may feel as though simplifying things is overwhelming, the effort to make these changes will be well worth it.

Start off by subtracting one negative thing from your life each day. Get rid of some stuff you no longer need, try to clear some mental space, and make a little room in your calendar for yourself.

As your life becomes simpler, you won’t have as many stresses, and you’ll find yourself enjoying your life again – a joy that you may have lost little by little as your life got more and more complicated.

5 Methods to Simplify Your Life. Simplify your life and bring back your joy!

Top 10 Differences Between Successful and Unsuccessful PeopleSuccessful People

Have you ever wondered what makes your most successful friend so successful? What about your least successful friend? What’s their problem? What’s the difference between those that thrive and those that struggle?

There are several differences, and they’re quite obvious if one takes the time to look.

If you understand the differences, you can examine your own situation and gain insight into why you might not be as successful as you’d like to be. Successful People

See how successful people do things differently than unsuccessful people:

1. Their lives are defined by their goals. Unsuccessful people’s lives are defined by their fears. Most people live their life in a way that avoids their fears. Successful people make decisions based on accomplishing their goals, not avoiding their fears.

2. They apply their time toward long-term objectives. Unsuccessful people are motivated by day-to-day concerns. The average person is only concerned with making it through the next week. Successful people take action each day that will provide benefits months, years, or decades in the future. Successful People

3. They seek success. Unsuccessful people seek comfort and base their decisions accordingly. A successful person moves toward success, whether the route is comfortable or not.

4. They take responsibility. Unsuccessful people have an endless list of excuses for their mediocrity. Successful people assume responsibility for everything that goes wrong in their lives. When you take responsibility, you have the power to change your situation. Blaming others is a form of powerlessness.

5. They continuously improve their results. A successful person wants to be better than they were yesterday. Average people maintain average results and are satisfied with this level of performance. Successful People

6. They read books. Unsuccessful people gravitate toward TV and other non-value-added forms of entertainment. Reading the right books is one of the most effective ways of boosting your knowledge. Would you rather learn something new or waste your time?

7. They are comfortable with failure. Successful people might not like failure, but they can deal with it. Average people avoid failure at all costs. This is similar to the previous point on fear. An inability to deal with the fear of failure is one of the things that makes unsuccessful people unsuccessful.

8. They have a plan for the day. It’s not possible to get the most from each day unless you have a plan for it. Average people wake up and let the day decide for them what might happen. If you don’t plan your day, you’re avoiding success.

9. They surround themselves with the right people. Successful people spend time with others that help them to become better. This could be a mentor, someone they could potentially do business deals with, or simply someone they believe has the right connections. Successful People

10. They have positive, effective habits. Good brushing and flossing habits lead to healthy teeth. Good exercise and diet habits lead to health and fitness. Good success habits lead to high levels of success. What do your habits lead you towards?

As you can see, there are clear-cut differences between successful and unsuccessful people. How many of these items can you identify with? What changes would you like to make?

Which one you decide to be is up to you. Are you committed to progress or comfort? Do you have a plan for your time that maximizes your effectiveness, or do you like to fly by the seat of your pants?

The choice between success and mediocrity is up to you. Successful People

5 Ways to Program Your Subconscious Mind

It depends on whose numbers you want to believe, but roughly 95% of our behavior is beyond our conscious awareness. Your subconscious files away your memories, experiences, perceptions, and insights and maintains them far beyond the recollection of your conscious mind.

These past experiences and revelations have a tremendous impact on your beliefs, habits, and general behavior.

Programming the subconscious mind is a powerful tool for altering behavior!

Using these strategies will help you program your mind to benefit your mind, body, and soul:

1. Affirmations. Everyone is familiar with affirmations. These are positive statements that you repeat to yourself each day. Affirmations can be powerful, but they must be used correctly:

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Avoid affirmations that are clearly untrue. Your subconscious is flexible, but it’s not willing to seriously consider the ridiculous. Repeating, “I am a billionaire,” is too factually untrue to be accepted by your subconscious. “My financial situation is improving rapidly” is easier to swallow.

Use imagery and emotions to really sell it. See yourself as thin, financially successful, or selling your first novel. Generate the same emotion you would have in that situation.

Repeat your affirmations 3 sessions per day for 5-10 minutes each. Right before falling asleep, right after awakening, and any opportune time during the day are ideal times. For example, if you want to strengthen your confidence, repeat the affirmations when you’re feeling self-doubt.

2. Subliminal technology. There is software available that flashes subliminal messages on your computer screen. These programs can run all day long without your awareness. You can use the affirmations included with the software or write your own.

There are also audio programs with positive messages embedded in the music beyond your ability to consciously recognize.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the usefulness of these programs. Since so many are available for free, there’s no harm in giving them a try for a month. See what happens.

3. Hypnosis. You’ve been hypnotized many times. You probably just didn’t view it as hypnosis. When you’re totally engrossed in a book or movie, you’re hypnotized.

Hypnosis is just a state of intense concentration with a reduced awareness of what is happening in your immediate environment. In this state, you’re more suggestible. In other words, it’s easier to influence you or to change your mind.

There are many books, audio programs, and videos that utilize hypnotic techniques. Many people find these highly effective, while others seem less impressed. Again, give it a try and determine if it’s worth your time.

4. Meditation. Meditation is a great way of concentrating your focus. Meditation creates a mental state that opens the mind to new ideas. Meditation can be learned quite effectively from books and videos. It does require practice to become skilled, so this isn’t a quick fix.

5. Visualization. If you’re good at visualizing, you can convince your subconscious of nearly anything. A convincing visualization is viewed by your subconscious as an actual experience. For example, if you visualize yourself giving successful speeches, your subconscious will become convinced this is a skill you possess.

Again, the best time to use this process is right before falling asleep and upon awakening in the morning. Visualizing is easier and more effective at those times.

We are only aware of a tiny portion of what our brain is doing at any moment.

Our brains are dealing with far too much information for our conscious mind to process. The brain is controlling body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, digestion, concentrations of various salts, neurotransmitters, hormones, and far more sensory data than we’re aware of.

The same is true for our behavior. In theory, the subconscious mind controls 95% of our behavior. It only makes sense to address this 95%. There are several ways to program the subconscious. Pick one and see what you can accomplish!

10 Tips for Stronger Mental Health

To stay fit and healthy it’s important to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health. There are little things you can do each day that all contribute to your mental wellness.

Add these 10 Tips for Stronger Mental Health to your daily routines and feel the difference:

1. Get enough sleep. A lot happens in your brain while you sleep – for both your physical and mental health. Sleep also helps to regulate the chemicals in your brain that manage moods and emotions. When you don’t get enough sleep, you may start to experience feelings of depression or anxiety.

Most adults thrive with 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night. Experiment and see how many hours work best for you.

2. Eat nutritiously. Good food is good for our bodies, plus it’s good for our mental health too. A deficiency in certain minerals, such as iron or vitamin B12, can negatively affect your mood.

Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and healthy fats like avocados. Avoid processed foods with unnatural chemicals. A healthy diet helps both your body and mind feel good.

Limit caffeine, as this can increase feelings of anxiety.

3. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs. These items can affect your mental health also.

Drinking too much alcohol can leave you with a thiamine deficiency, which can cause challenges with your memory, coordination, and confusion.

Withdrawal symptoms of smoking and drugs can lead to a host of issues. For example, you may feel irritable or anxious without having smoked, while withdrawal effects of drug use may include low moods and anxiety.

5. Try to reduce stress. Stress can sometimes be unavoidable but learning what triggers it and how to cope with it is key for your mental health.

You can learn to better manage your worries by making a list or schedule of what needs to be done. Prioritize the most important items and do those first. When you get used to doing this each day, you’ll soon realize that your tasks are manageable, and you’ll feel less need to worry.

Once your important tasks are taken care of, find relaxation methods that work for you and let the stress of the day melt away.

6. Make time to exercise. Regular exercise helps to boost the production of chemicals in your brain that improve your mood. This helps to eliminate low mood, anxiety, and stress.

7. Have fun. Even if you are living a busy lifestyle, be sure to set some time aside for fun. Fun is actually very important to your mental health, life satisfaction, and a healthy outlook on life.

8. Be sociable. Having a few good friends is good for your mental health. They can support and encourage you in good times and bad, giving you inspiration and motivation to live your best life.

9. Volunteer. Helping others can be good for you too, as well as those you are helping. A little community spirit can go a long way to making you feel good about yourself.

Find a charity that speaks to your heart and volunteer your time to help others.

10. Ask for help. Learn to recognize the signs that you aren’t feeling good and need to ask for help. There’s no need to feel ashamed about having to ask for help. We all go through tough times, but if you have support around you, you’ll be able to make it through to the other side.

If you feel as though your friends and family cannot help, or if your mental health issues have started to get too much for you to cope with, make an appointment to speak with your doctor.

Your mental health is important and, if not looked after, it may start to affect your physical health as well. Do the little things regularly that can help you to build strong mental health. You’ll love the difference in the way you feel.

Finding a work-life balance is good for both your physical and mental health. But many times, heavy job responsibilities steal that balance away. When that happens, both our work and home life can suffer unwanted consequences. Work Life Balance

But how can you achieve that balance and still excel at your job? Work Life Balance

Use these strategies to create the work-life balance you seek:

1. Avoid checking your work emails outside the office. While in the office, you’ll probably check your work emails often to ensure that any meetings and deadlines are met. However, checking them when you’re off work allows your work life to encroach on your home life. Work Life Balance

Set boundaries with yourself and your work colleagues regarding emails, so that you can take care of work communications only while at work. Work Life Balance

2. Learn to say no. You may love your job, but it’s usually unnecessary to be available to your boss 24/7. We all need a break occasionally, and there is nothing wrong with saying no once in a while. Especially outside of your allotted work hours.

3. Work smarter, not harder. Instead of working all hours of the day, with very little rest, work smarter. You’ll actually get more done in a shorter period of time.

Prioritize important tasks and do these tasks first each day. This way, the most important things always get done.

Avoid unproductive activities, such as unstructured meetings or constantly checking your social media accounts. Work Life Balance

4. Leave work at work. This may be hard, and may not always be possible, but when you clock off for the day, make a mental note that work has finished.

Perhaps take a moment to acknowledge that work has finished by stopping and taking a breath before your commute home. The reason for this is to ensure that you are not bringing the work and any stress associated with it home. Work Life Balance

5. You don’t need to be perfect. Have you ever been on your way out of the office, only to turn back around because you thought of a way to make a report or task perfect? Sometimes, it pays to remind yourself that you and your work are good enough. Work Life Balance

6. Focus on things outside work. For some of us, our work is our life, but what happens if one day we lose our job? Where does that leave us? It may be a scary thought, but it’s important to have a life outside work.

Develop some hobbies that interest you. Spending time doing something that you love reduces stress and energizes you while relaxing you and uplifting your mood. Add some “happy time” to your life!

7. Make your own rules. There has been a shift in work attitudes, especially among younger workers. More people – even bosses – are recognizing the value of work-life balance. Come up with your own ideas that will help you separate your work from your home life and run them by your boss. They might just agree! Work Life Balance

Finding a balance between work and your home life can be difficult, but it’s well worth the effort! Work Life Balance