Daily Gratitude | Be Grateful for what You Have. Every. Single. Day.

Why is it so surprisingly hard to remember to have daily gratitude for what we have in our lives? Instead, we tend to get caught up in the tailspin of our minds constantly reminding us what we are lacking.

What we really should be focusing on is what we do have.

Seriously. It is that simple.

Find daily gratitude for what you do have.

That’s all.

The universe has this funny way of reciprocating what you send out. Gratitude sends positivity into the universe and genuinely thankful for the things in life that we have invites more of the same goodness. Whereas, constantly wanting more and always thinking of all that you are lacking will also invite more of the same wanting and lacking.

How do you keep practicing daily gratitude?

Regularly practicing daily gratitude can significantly increase your sense of well-being and give you greater satisfaction with life. The only problem is that after about 3 or 4 days of practicing daily gratitude, the spark tends to fizzle out and we just go back to our old ways of not paying attention. Because it is easier. Right?

Here’s the thing. It’s not the big stuff that I’m talking about here. Yes, you should be grateful for your family and friends and health and blah blah blah. Those are all great things. Of course you are thankful for them. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you weren’t because you just plain wouldn’t care about this gratitude business.

It gets old really quickly saying “I’m grateful for my family” over and over.

What I mean is that you should take the time to think about the little things in life that you are grateful for. Like, sleeping for an extra 15 minutes. That’s pretty awesome. (Especially when you have kids!) Be thankful for the comfortable bed and cozy blankets. Be thankful for how the sunlight looks filtering through the curtains first thing in the morning. Remember how happy you felt when you bought those curtains? Do they still make you happy?

Be grateful for the sunshine. Be grateful for the rain – even if it messes up your hair. Be grateful you have hair to mess up! Find gratitude in the fact that if your hair messes up, you have a bathroom in your home that you can go to later and fix it with the hair products that you should also be thankful for. That’s the stuff I’m talking about. The things we do have.

Keep a journal, or don’t. Whatever works for you!

Try to train your brain to constantly scan the day for things to be thankful for. I don’t believe it is necessary to keep a journal, because if you are anything like me it will inevitably end up in a box full of other unfinished journals. But hey, if you are good at these things then, by all means, keep a journal! Writing down the things we are thankful for can be a very powerful way to invite more of the same into our lives.

If you are as bad at journaling as I am, though, it is ok to find a time of day that works best for you to simply contemplate gratitude. Try starting at night time, when you are lying in bed and closing your eyes for sleep. Think about your day and pick out the moments that you are most thankful for.

You know, like getting a 30% off coupon for Kohls. That is way more exciting than the dumb 15% coupons. I’m serious. Think of the simple things.

If you find bedtime doesn’t work for you, maybe first thing in the morning is better. Or while you are driving to work. Or driving home from work. Or watching your kids practice whatever sport it is they play. Or while you are mindlessly walking around Target. Be thankful you get to mindlessly wander around Target.

Whenever it works for you and wherever you are, just send out gratitude for anything and everything that you can.

Without a doubt, it will make a fantastically positive difference in your life.

What simple things can you think of to be thankful for today?