You know what the main difference between a happy life and a miserable life is?  Gratitude.

Happiness in life boils down to this:  If you are genuinely appreciative/grateful for things, you will be happy.  If you are not appreciative or grateful, your life may look desirable from the outside, but YOU will be miserable.

It’s not only your own happiness determined by your gratitude… it’s the happiness of all of those around you, as well.  If you are genuinely appreciative, it shows, not only in your words, but in your actions.  If you are appreciative of what others do for you, they will be happy to do things for you, meaning their happiness will increase, as well.

So give it a try sometime… pay attention to what others do for you, and realize that they are putting in their own time and effort to do something for you.  They’ll never have that time back, and whatever time they spend on you is time that they can’t spend on their own heart’s desire (unless, of course, what they are doing for you IS their heart’s desire).  If you truly take a moment to consider that, you actually will appreciate that they have done something for you.

Thank them.  Smile genuinely at them.  Meet their eyes.

Make sure you acknowledge the people who show you appreciation… smile back, meet their eyes and genuinely tell them they are welcome.  Wish them a good day as you leave.

You, and those around you, will feel the difference quickly, often in a single day, certainly within a week, and a month can make a lifetime’s worth of difference.

And, in keeping with this post, I genuinely appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this, and appreciate it even more if you comment and let me know, whether on the site, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AMiracleADay) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/AMiracleADay).

I hope I’ve reminded you to take the time and that I’ve added a bit of happiness to your life, and those around you… combine this with a few moments of silence, and you should see a remarkable difference.