“The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.”

Until about two years ago, I never understood or appreciated the power of gratitude. Then I started to read about it everywhere. The concept just kept popping up in my life. I decided that there must be something to it and I’m always open to trying new things, so I started a gratitude journal. I wrote in it every day.

Then I started my own practice. Every morning one of the first things I do is shower. When I’m in there, all I think about is all of the things I have to be grateful for. I usually start with saying thank you for the blessing of waking up to live another day. I say silent thank yous for my health, the people in my life, the positive changes I’ve made, the small things like the hot water I’m standing in, and on and on. When I go outside to run or walk and I am by myself, I do the same thing. I’ve learned to really notice and appreciate the details that life offers us every day—the sunshine, the breeze, the ability to hear the beautiful sound of the wind blowing through the trees. I never run out of good things to think about…and you shouldn’t either!

In 2018 when I decided that I wanted to actively practice gratitude by expressing it to others, I wrote what I call a gratitude letter to someone different every week for the entire year. It was a really powerful experience for me to share with others how they impacted my life. I want to encourage you to cultivate gratitude in your own lives because it is truly life changing. It has re-shaped the way I look at everything and it has greatly improved the quality of my days.