How to Appreciate Your Life

Co-authored by Taylor Rochestie

Last Updated: September 23, 2021 References

Do you believe that life has given you a bad turn? Feel like you are losing everything you love. Don't worry. Everyone goes through that from time to time.

1

Count your blessings.

Life for the most part is made up of the mundane and the ordinary. Look at your accumulated clothes and possessions, your home, friends, family, job, the food in your cupboards, everything. Maybe there isn't much for you to look at now, but be thankful for the things that you do have. ^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

2

Thank people for the small favours that they do for you.

It makes them feel good, and it makes you feel good too. If you are feeling down, try doing a little something that takes you outside of yourself. Pick up some litter on your street, or say a kind word to a neighbour or bus driver. These small kindnesses somehow seem to add up and help you to feel more useful, thankful and a part of the wider community. ^{[2]
X
Research source}
- You can go a step further and ask people how you can help them. For instance, you might ask, "What can I do for you today?" ^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Taylor Rochestie
  Professional Basketball Player
  
  Expert Interview. 13 July 2021.}

3

Look forward.

"Tomorrow is another day." No matter how bad things were today, life does indeed go on. Try not to fret about the bad day, everyone has them, and we are generally too preoccupied with our own stuff to remember someone else's folly for more than a passing moment. ^{[4]
X
Research source}

Advertisement

4

Forgive people for past mistakes.

Start by being willing to forgive. Say it out loud "I am willing to forgive So & So. I'm not sure if I can, but I'm willing." This can diffuse the stress of feeling you 'must' forgive (a stress all of its own) and the guilt of not being able to. ^{[5]
X
Research source}

5

Be more broadly grateful.

For those in other faiths, thank your relevant deities. If you do not believe in a deity or do not view yourself as a spiritual person, thank the universe in general for the precious reality of life. Whatever your beliefs, it is simply amazing that we beings are capable of thinking, feeling and interacting with other people. ^{[6]
X
Trustworthy Source
Greater Good Magazine
Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living
Go to source}

Advertisement

6

Have the genuine intention of doing the best you can with what you have been given.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I show appreciation to someone that is important to me?

Taylor Rochestie
Life Coach
Taylor Rochestie is a Life Coach, Author, and Speaker. He is the best-selling author of A New 20/20 Vision: Cultivate Joy, Reprogram Your Mind, and Define Life Through an Authentic Lens. He shares his perspectives on the unpredictability of life and how to have an active vision for the future. His 14 years as a professional athlete have inspired him to help people set roadmaps for themselves to achieve their own goals. He is an eSpeaker Certified Virtual Presenter and has a degree in Communication & Media Studies from Washington State University.

Taylor Rochestie

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Try communicating in a very positive way and offering your help. Remember that everybody has a lot going on in their lives, and we're all unique and individual, but everybody else that's around us also has things going on in their life. So, when you turn your focus towards helping others, it really shows your appreciation for other people.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

You are never too old to stand back and look carefully at your life, or to make some changes. ^{[7]
X
Research source}

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
You only live once.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
Take some time to think about your life as it is now, be thankful for what you do have, and look ahead a little to what you would like to change.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Warnings

Do not give into despair ever. It may feel terrible during times of hardship but it is during these times that your strengths come to the fore and you learn things about yourself that you may never have known before. Hard times test human beings but if you can appreciate the remaining good things, however small, a difficult time can also be a transition to something new. ^{[8]
X
Research source}

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

[1]

[2]

[3]

Expert Source

Taylor Rochestie
Professional Basketball Player

[4]

[5]

[6]

Go to source

[7]

[8]

How to Appreciate Your Life

Steps

Count your blessings.

Thank people for the small favours that they do for you.

Look forward.

Forgive people for past mistakes.

Be more broadly grateful.

Have the genuine intention of doing the best you can with what you have been given.

Expert Q&A

Tips

Warnings

You Might Also Like

References

About this article

Did this article help you?

You Might Also Like

Explore Categories