I mean really in a world where there is so much going on that is wrong.  Who wouldn't be grateful for coffee beans and and the best make up brushes?  What better way to pretty up an otherwise ugly world?

While that's a nice thought let's really get into the subject of gratitude and how having some can make things extremely better this time of year.

Well it’s the Holidays again

While for some this is an awesome time of year and they can’t wait to start all the cooking, shopping, and getting ready for family to arrive they live for this time of year, while for others it is not all that festive.

For some this is a time of grief.  Maybe they have no family or anyone to spend the holidays with.  There may not be enough money to buy everything that would make the family happy or worse you know you are going into debt this time of year.  For others maybe they have lost a loved one around this time of year and this is a painful reminder for them that they will never have another Thanksgiving or Christmas together.  I know for me personally I lost a co-worker the day after Thanksgiving and my Grandmother the week before Christmas so this time of year is not as happy as years past. Or maybe you don’t have a significant other to spend the holidays with, no one to buy you gifts or make you feel special and your family keeps questioning why you haven’t gotten married yet. Others may want children to spend the holidays with and no matter how hard they try they can't seem to conceive and the holidays are a painful reminder.

There are so many reasons why one could not be in the holiday spirit.  I know for many years I always focused on all the things that had gone wrong.  My relationships, my finances, my career it always seemed that something was not in the place that I needed it to be in order to be feel happy.

The Solution

  Expressing Gratitude.  I read a book a couple of years ago called  "The Magic" by Rhonda and in this book you practice gratitude over the course of 30 days.  You have a morning routine and a night routine and each day you add in a daily exercise.  Let's just say this book changed my life in so many different ways.  It really helped me to realize that there is so much to be grateful for that we overlook.  We get so bogged down in what is wrong and what we don't have enough of, that we give very little thought and how really when you think about it there is someone who would die to be in your shoes.  

I would suggest going through that book, but for those who can't the next best thing would be to keep a gratitude journal.

What is a gratitude journal you may ask?  It is a place where you give thanks for everything that you have and even for things that you want to bring into your life.  I normally write down three things that I am grateful for in the mornings and why I am grateful for them.  At night I think back over the day and write down things that I am grateful for that happened during the day.  This process takes my mind off of the negative that is going on in my life and really shines a spotlight on the positive and God knows we can all use a spotlight on the positive.  I hope you take advantage of this and if you do don't forget to comment below on how this has helped you.