Gracious people are always humble. They don’t brag about how great they are or show off; instead, they act modest and wait for other people to note their achievements. They don’t make a spectacle of themselves, they are in awe of how big and complicated the world is, and they don’t march into a room like they own the place. If you want to be humble, then be happy to be who you are without showing off about it. Always give other people credit. If someone says you’ve done great work on a project, mention that you couldn’t have done it without the help of your other co-workers. Treat other people with kindness and respect – even if they don’t always deserve it. Be punctual if you said you were going to be somewhere. Hold doors for people. Don’t text your friends or look distracted when you’re supposed to be giving another person your full attention. Make eye contact, don’t curse, and treat people kindly regardless of their social status or their position within your social network or company. Treating people with respect means treating everyone the same, regardless of what you think they can do for you. Having tact means not saying anything that is offensive, off-color, or just plain weird. Tactful people think before they speak and they are discreet if they have to say something slightly uncomfortable – like if they have to tell a person that he has something in his teeth. Be aware of what you say and also of how you say it – you may mean well, but your comment may be taken the wrong way because of your tone or the words you used. Being tactful means not bringing up anything that can cause a stir. If you know you’re hanging out with two people who have very opposite views on Obamacare, for example, then don’t bring it up in their company. Generous people are able to give – whether it’s their time, their money, or their love and kindness. Be a person who is always looking for a way to help others, whether we’re talking about your closest friends or perfect strangers who are in need. Cultivate a generous spirit that is always looking for ways to help other people and to improve and expand their lives.  Being generous with your time is important. Sure, helping your friend clean her apartment will be a time suck, but she’ll really appreciate all of the help since she’s been so down in the dumps lately because of her break-up. Being generous also means recognizing opportunities when you can help out. Your sick friend may not say that he’d love it if you picked up chicken soup for lunch, but that doesn’t mean he won’t appreciate it. It’s important to take a compliment the right way if you really want to be gracious. Thank people for their compliments, and show how much their words mean to you. You don’t have to downplay it or make it sound like you don’t deserve it; sounding overly-modest can get a little bit annoying. Instead, say something like, “Thank you so much for saying that. It means so much to me.” If you can give a return compliment at the time, that would be great. For example, if someone says, “Thank you so much for helping me with my math homework,” you can say, “It was my pleasure. And thank you for helping me with the English homework last week. That was so helpful.” Gracious people know how to handle criticism – whether it’s constructive or not. If the criticism is constructive, then you have to be able to see the value from it, learn from it, and make a plan for growing or improving the qualities you were criticized for. And if the criticism was just meant to hurt you, then you can let it roll off your back and take the higher ground by not saying something negative about the person in return. A great deal about your character can be revealed depending on how you take criticism. If you immediately get angry and defensive then this shows that you are uncomfortable acknowledging your flaws. Furthermore, it just won’t be very gracious. Gracious people act the way they do because they know how to count their blessings instead of focusing on the challenges they have to face. They know exactly what they have to be thankful for, whether it’s their health, their friends, their family, and/or their opportunities, and they never forget any of those things for a second. If you want to be grateful, then you have to always know how much you have to be thankful for, no matter how upset or frustrated you may be feeling at any given moment. If you’re really feeling out of your element or down in the dumps, it helps to write a gratitude list. This can include all of the things you’re thankful for, and you can add to it whenever another thing occurs to you. Taking the time to read over the list and smile can make you feel more grateful no matter how bad your day was.

Summary:
Be humble. Be respectful. Be tactful. Be generous. Learn to take a compliment. Take criticism well. Be grateful.