The minimalism and slow living movement is gradually making its way mainstream. More people are realizing that the habits they’ve developed are not only contributing to their unhappiness but is also having negative environmental effects around them. The need for instant gratification made us empathetic to the events and causes taking place around us and provided a temporary bandage to an injury that requires stitching and therapy.

While going through my decluttering process, it allowed me to exercise my decision making muscles and gave me a chance to reflect on when and why I made certain purchases. Constantly being in ‘purchasing mode’ is like telling myself what I have is not enough; what I am is not enough. It’s so easy to unconsciously fall for advertising telling us that we need this or that in our lives to be complete’ or that without ‘this’ experience we have not arrived.

Our consistent wants to consume create a materialistic mindset. We’ve justified that the way to solve our economic problems is by constantly consuming, but we’ve reached a point where the amount we consume surpass production. Overtime the scale became unbalanced.

Taking all this in consideration, I want to present to you a few habits that can develop a spirit of gratitude and contentment so that what matters becomes clear.

10 Habits to build a Grateful Heart:

Cook dinner with friends or for friends.

Make a choice to choose quality time over quantity of things.

Wait 1-2 weeks before making a purchase.

Make a list of one or two things you were grateful for before bed daily.

Forgive yourself daily.

Volunteer for a cause you never knew about.

List 25 things your thankful for.

Spend time in nature.

Create time to meditate for at least 5 minutes.

Send a hand written letter.