This year, instead of writing down one big new year’s resolution (or several…) I wrote down several small ones that I could get done in a month or so. Some of them were very concrete (like, schedule regular hair cuts and brow waxes, LIKE AN ADULT) and others, not so much. The one I have been focusing on the last couple of weeks is being a more thoughtful person.

I’ve always been a bit of a space cadet. I forget names and birthdays, run into people while staring at my phone, blank on appointments. Sometimes I flake on my friends, or don’t follow through on… wait, what was I just saying? 

Even though I’ve always had my head in the clouds (and being a daydreamer is not by any means a bad thing!), this spaciness is not my favorite trait about myself. Forgetting your best friend’s birthday again is never a cute look. 

I’ve always been envious of people who not only remember birthdays, but remember to send you a card and a cute little gift, or the people who have a smile and a kind thing to say, no matter who they’re talking to. So, I wrote down a couple of the little things that these folks did for me that were impactful. 

The following are a couple of those little things. 

In stretching this thoughtfulness muscle, I’ve found that sometimes focusing on the needs of others before my own is a great way to get out of my own head and improve my mood. Even though a lot of these things apply to your interactions with strangers, many of them apply to your friends, family, and significant others, too, so they’ll help you put in the good work to maintaining those important relationships. 

Want to learn how to be more thoughtful? Read on.

Table of Contents

1. Remember the Important Stuff

Have you ever had someone forget the name of your significant other, your cat, your nephew, even though you’ve talked about them multiple times? It didn’t feel great, did it?