Joy and gratitude are a choice. Before you roll your eyes and dismiss the blog, stick around for a sec.

I’ve been through some crappy seasons. You know, the kind that have you curled up in a ball feeling like you’ve been run over by an 18-wheeler. The only thing that got me through the shit storm was my attitude and daily practice of gratitude.

Years ago during an especially gnarly season and weeks of feeling like a shell of myself, I woke up one morning and decided to change my attitude. I had exhausted all the self-pity scenarios. The sad story replaying in my head was getting old, even for me. I wanted a different kind of day. I wasn’t even thinking of outcome at that point. I just wanted to feel good. One morning, I got up, got dressed and decided to write a list of all the things that made me happy. Coffee might have topped the list because that’s where I was at … and that was OK. It was a start.

I did this daily. My list grew longer and more meaningful. The challenges I was dealing with became lessons that gave me clarity, growth and healing and that brought on gratitude.

Years later, I still maintain a practice of writing in my journal and listing the blessings in my life. No matter what’s going on in my life, I choose to focus my energy on the joys instead of the hardship. This mindset has given me the ability to maintain inner peace and an open heart to whatever is meant for me because I’m not clouded with negativity. 

On the worst day, I still choose to believe in a world that’s full of abundance instead of scarcity. I choose to have faith in times of fear. I choose. I always choose. And you have the power to choose your mindset every day. This doesn’t mean life is perfect because it’s not. It doesn’t mean that I’m blind to the areas in my life that could use a blessing because I’m not blind to them. It simply means I direct my energy to the areas that are working while proactively solving for what’s not without complaint and without self-pity.

It’s easy to be grateful when all the stars are aligned for you. True gratitude is when you’re grateful in spite of what’s not working.

Look for the joy in everything no matter how insignificant it may seem to you. Always feed energy and gratitude into the good stuff so more good stuff comes your way. That’s the law of attraction at its core. I promise your perspective and your day will change for the better.

Tell me three things you’re grateful for today?

I hope my story has served you in some capacity.

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