The month of November is here! I have no idea how it came so fast, but I am excited for Thanksgiving and all that it reminds me to be!
Gratitude is a quality that I believe everyone can practice more of. It has the ability to enhance and maintain happiness, allows us to see the good in bad situations, and reminds us what truly matters in life. While it doesn't always change the scenario of what you are going thru, I firmly believe it can change your outlook on how you handle it, and can make each of us stronger through the process.
I have been overwhelmed lately with gratitude and feeling blessed. Human nature is always pushing us to want more, be more, do more. In fact I had multiple conversations this week with different friends about their goals, mine, what we should do in the next year in regards to jobs, family, friends, fitness, etc. I am a big fan of setting goals and reaching them successfully, but it also reminds me I need to live in the moment more often! Gratitude is key to doing this! Self help author Melody Beattie said "Gratitude turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." If that doesn't touch your heart, I urge you to read it again, over and over until it does, because it holds a truth we can all relate to.
I have been spending more time lately focusing on gratitude. Honestly the more positive I am, the more grateful I am ~ the more blessed I can see my life is and the happier I feel!
I want to encourage you today that if you are struggling with gratitude, take a few minutes each morning to think of or write down 5 things you are grateful for. This can be done lying in bed, or over your morning coffee. Maybe when you are out and about for the day practice gratitude. Ways to do this may be making a family in need a meal, making sure the waitress hears you say thank you and smiles because he/she knows you mean in. It might be a gift from the heart that you are bursting to give someone who doesn't expect it, or maybe it is simply taking a negative situation in your home and talking about how you can turn difficulty into a reminder of what you do have. There is no right or wrong way to express or feel it. Gratitude is a journey, different for everyone!
Week one of November has come and gone. However, there are still 3 weeks for me to GIVE!!! I will be giving away 3 gifts to 3 winners! All you need to do is share in the comments why you are grateful, how you expressed gratitude recently, or how you plan to practice gratitude in the future. You may comment starting now until November 24th. Obviously if you wait till the end you will only be entered for the last gift. I have yet to officially choose my gifts, but plan to share some of my favorite items! Possibly pertaining to fitness, perfume, and who knows what else I will feel like sharing with you when the time comes! Please feel free to share with your friends. I am not on Facebook, but if you share this on Facebook add the word (share) to your comment and I will enter you twice! If I do not know you personally, you can still win, please just make sure to check back or leave your name so I can reach you! I'd love to see more comments than ever on this post! Overwhelm me with your hearts of gratitude!
Dates to Watch For:
Give a way 1 - November 11
Give a way 2 - November 18
Give a way 3 - November 25
