“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.” ~Unknown

Tomorrow as many people celebrate Thanksgiving Day with their loved ones, fully enjoy the day and take it all in.

This day is traditionally a time to be with families, friends, and loved ones. It focuses around sharing a meal and enjoying precious time together.

Here in London, I have never been to a Thanksgiving dinner, but I just love the whole concept behind this day of appreciation, sharing, and togetherness. Maybe in time, notwithstanding all the commercial implications, Thanksgiving will be celebrated globally.

Thanksgiving Day will be gone all too soon, but there is no reason why you cannot continue the spirit of Thanksgiving all year around.

Here are my seven simple tips to make every day Thanksgiving:

1. Live with an attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude is all about appreciating the things you have in your life—everyday, and not just on Thanksgiving Day.

From today onward, begin to value all the goodness, beauty, and love around you. This can be as majestic as a sunset or as simple as the feel of the clothes you wear.

Gratitude is a way of reaching back to your natural state of happiness. Notice what’s right instead of what’s wrong, and begin to see every “problem” as an opportunity for growth and development. Is your glass half full or half empty?

“It’s a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.” ~Roberto Benigni

Be thankful for a gift from a friend, a child’s smile, a stranger’s kindness, and even the weather, regardless of whether it is raining or the sun is shining.

Make it a life long commitment to live with an attitude of gratitude.

2. Show your appreciation of others.

Countless people contribute daily to make your life what it is. From the postman to the checkout assistant, everyone that you interact with plays a key role in helping you flow through your day.

The food at your table, your car, and the clothes you wear—all these things are possible only because of the toil and sweat of thousands of strangers around the world.

Though you will never personally meet or know all these kind people, you can certainly show your appreciation to the people you meet daily. Even just genuinely saying thank you from the heart will mean a lot to them.

Go one step further and get to know better such people in your life. All the people you acknowledge will be truly touched.

Remember that opportunities to genuinely thank the universe and people are endless. There’s a lot to be thankful for in life.

3. Celebrate life every day.

Tomorrow as you celebrate Thanksgiving, the party will be over before you know it. But why wait for next Thanksgiving to celebrate life?

Life is for celebrating, and if you choose to do so, your life can be a never ending fiesta!

Look for ways to celebrate every day, even if it’s just a nice cup of coffee or a cool glass of water.

Part of celebrating life everyday is to give yourself the best things possible. So eat healthy and quality food. Your zest for life depends so much on what you put into your body. So celebrate with quality and nutritious food.

And remember to exercise regularly and make it fun. Do also take time out to rest and get enough sleep. After all, you don’t want to get too tired for the next day of celebrating life!

4. Enjoy nature’s bounty.

Nature is a huge dining table; you just have to feast from it. Make it a habit to go for a walk everyday and bask in some greenery, or maybe stroll along a sea shore if you are so lucky.

Even if you’re a city dweller surrounded by high rise buildings, seek out a natural sanctuary or even create your own. Literally stop and smell the roses.

Every now and then, look at a sunset, cloud formation, or trees. You can get so busy. Just learn to become present to the beauty of nature and keep at it.

“The more you notice the love, the miracles and the beauty around you, the more love comes into your life.” ~Betty Eadie

Appreciate nature and goodness in other ways too. For example, try out different foods and flavors, and really enjoy all that nature continues to bestow upon us.

5. Share your abundance.

You are blessed with so much abundance, from your worldly goods, your wisdom, your innate goodness, and indeed nature’s bounty. You have been given so much, so share it with others every day and don’t wait for this time next year.

Invite friends to your home, support worthy causes, help someone in a positive way—you get the idea. There are umpteen ways you can share and spread your abundance.

Simply by showing your abundant, giving, and carefree nature you will inspire abundance awareness in others.

6. Truly appreciate your loved ones.

Tomorrow as you spend time with your loved ones, you can appreciate and fully accept them, no matter what their quirks are. Can’t you?!

So why not continue this for the rest of the year?

We so often take people for granted only to miss them as soon as they have left. Many times loved ones leave and we wish we’d told them how much they mean to us.

Show your loved ones you truly care for them every day and not just on a few special occasions each year.

You don’t even have to make a grand gesture to show your appreciation. Sometimes all they want is some quality time with you and your full presence. The little things can make a big difference.

7. Contribute to others and bring people together.

Ultimately, we are all interconnected, even if we don’t know each other and have nothing in common.

Regardless of your relationship, look for ways to contribute to others. In any situation, ask yourself: How can I help? How can I contribute here?

Random acts of kindness are magical, and giving of yourself is one of the best joys of life. For example, let other drivers into your lane and have a friendly conversation with the cashier at the gas station.

Connect with people without wanting anything from them. Make at least one friendly phone call each day, with no intention to get some business or anything else—just a friendly hello without any expectation.

And look for ways of bringing people together all year around, not just during holidays.

By creating a sense of togetherness, you will help to generate and instil in others a sense of community and well-being.

Become conscious of the joy you get from all your positive acts. When you give the gift of a smile or a kind word, you create a wonderful ripple effect of joy that touches many, and helps build bridges between everyone.

We can all indeed have that magical, Thanksgiving joy all year around.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone—tomorrow and everyday!

Photo by AlicePopkorn

About Arvind Devalia

Arvind Devalia is a coach, blogger, speaker and author of 2 Amazon best-sellers: “Love is all that Matters” and “Get the Life you Love.” Arvind blogs about how to make it happen in your life and for a better world at http://www.ArvindDevalia.com/blog. Please visit his blog and sign up to get his inspirational “Make It Happen” Manifesto