Want to do something that will change your life? Practice daily gratitude.

And a gratitude journal is the perfect way to start.

It is amazing that we can become so focused on our problems that we fail to see all the good around us. Focusing on the negative becomes a habit. A bad habit. Focusing on the good is also a habit. A wonderful attitude-changing habit. And what I love about the habit of gratitude is that it is a habit that can be learned and practiced by anyone. A gratitude journal will help make gratitude a habit in your life.

It doesn’t depend on anything else or anyone else in our life. It is only up to us. There is so much to be thankful for all around us. Nothing is too small to make us feel grateful. Begin to be a good finder in your life and look for all the good around you. There are so many everyday things in our life that we take for granted. Let’s take time to really look at our lives and see how much we actually do have to be thankful for…even if it’s as simple as having a washing machine and dryer in your home. Something many of us have and take for granted. Imagine your life without this luxury that has made your life so much easier. Instead, we tend to complain about having to do laundry. I am guilty of this. I have yet to run skipping to my washer and dryer exclaiming, “Oh goody! I get to do laundry today!” But give me two weeks without it and, I bet you I would. The same goes for simple things like lotion for our dry skin, shampoo that makes our hair clean and smell nice, a dinner with friends. Imagine your life without these things and learn to see them with new eyes.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. – Oprah

When we become grateful about our lives, we become excited about our lives. What if you gave someone a gift and they neglected to thank you- would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more blessings that life has to offer you must truly appreciate what you already have. -Ralph Marston

The best way to make this a new habit in your life is a Gratitude Journal.

Gratitude Journal Ideas & Tips

• Phone Apps are great and handy and many are free.
• Art Journals are an option for the creative types.
• A simple notebook on your bedside table is a no muss-no fuss way to go.
• Set a time period…a year, 30 days, etc.
• Write at least one thing every day for this set period of time for which you are thankful, more is fine also.
• Set an alarm as a reminder.

Make your life a masterpiece and let it begin with the art of gratitude. – Topaz

Be grateful…even for little things. Each day write three different things for which you are grateful to have in your life. It could be something as small as being thankful for a warm pair of socks on a cold day, lotion to soothe dry hands, etc. No matter what is going on in our lives, there is always something good. Remember those things every day.

Start a gratitude journal today and watch your attitude begin to change. If you want joy in your life, begin with gratitude. If you don’t know what else to do, begin with gratitude.

Today I am grateful for _____.