This post is part of a mini-series on seven foundational principles for living the grateful life. Click here to read about the first—the principle of gifts.

If I could ask you just one question to gauge how grateful you are, it would be this:

Do you believe life has been…
(a) unfair to you
(b) fair to you
(c) overly generous to you?

Most people instinctively go for (b)—after all, fairness sounds pretty good. But here’s the twist: The most grateful people tend to choose (c). They believe life has been overly generous to them.

We call this the abundance mindset—the belief that life has given you more than you expected or were entitled to. You see yourself as lucky, fortunate, blessed. And in my view, this mindset is the secret sauce to living a more grateful life. (Credit to

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