30 Days of Gratitude

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One of the most powerful exercises you could ever do with your partner is 30 Days of Gratitude. This is simple and takes very little time, but it makes a huge impact on your relationship no matter how good or bad it might be at the moment. It\’s completely free, so you have nothing to lose.

Take out a sheet of paper and number it from 1 to 30 (or print 30 Days of Gratitude PDF). Then post it somewhere your partner will see it everyday (on the fridge, perhaps). The day you post it, write something about your partner that makes you thankful for them on Number 1. This can be something big or little; it doesn\’t really matter as long as you put some thought into it.

Do not fill out the whole sheet on the first day. Instead, write in one item each day. Your partner will look forward to seeing what you write about them each day and you will both learn something about each other.

Sometimes we assume people know things when they actually don\’t. Maybe he or she doesn\’t know it means so much to you when he or she opens the mail everyday so you don\’t have to. Or that you always iron his shirts. Or that you danced with her great-grandmother at her cousin\’s wedding. See where I\’m going with this?

This works especially well if both partners fill out the list at the same time, but be willing to do it even if your partner is not interested. Once he or she sees how it makes them feel to see such positive things written about them, they may get on board later. Just be patient. If you do this once every year, it will help keep your relationship in perspective.

And if you are worried that your partner won\’t bother to look at what you write, don\’t be. I assure that human nature will take care of that for you. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it would have killed the human even quicker! Just put it where they can see it and they won\’t be able to resist seeing what you wrote about them.

(By the way, I am thankful that my husband supports my Internet endeavors!)