Do you ever have those moments where you are instantly overwhelmed with how much there truly is to be thankful for? I don’t know about you, but over the years, for me, focusing on the negative – the trial, the lack, the friend who wasn’t a friend, the deal that fell through, the promise that was broken… over and over again, the friend that Heaven called seemingly too soon, the rejection and disapproval, (okay, you get my point!) – was WAY easier than focusing on the rays of sunshine that were beaming through my clouds.

I’ve shared about this journey in previous posts as well as publicly, in different speaking engagements.

It’s been ugly.

And it’s been incredible.

On this Canadian Thanksgiving day, I wanted to share three ridiculously simple strategies that help shift our hearts towards gratitude.

• Make A List

Grab a sheet of paper and begin to jot down anything in your life that you have to be thankful for. Nothing is too small, and nothing is too big. I know of some people who started this list, and kept it in a prominent place so that first thing every morning, they could add a few items to it. Getting it on paper and watching it grow is a simple way to see all that there is to be thankful for.

• Say Thank-You

There’s something so powerful about putting words to feelings of gratitude, and letting people know that you are thankful for them. Life is too short to not acknowledge the impact that people are having in your life. Shoot them a quick thank-you note, so they know that their words or actions were noticed and appreciated.

• Watch The News

I’m serious. It only takes a few minutes of seeing the chaos that our world is in for the enormous issues in our lives to fall into perspective. Somebody has it worse that me. Hurricane Matthew has left it’s devastating mark on thousands of lives. People woke up in the morning with a life and family, and went to bed with nothing at all. Heartbreaking. How can I not be thankful? For shelter. For food… abundant food. For life.

My prayer for you today is that your heart digs deep and discovers new things to be thankful for, and that others around you are impacted because of your overflow of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Canadians! And to the non-Canadian readers, I’m sorry that your dinner won’t be as yummy as ours today. 🙂

xox,

Want more inspiration? Check out these FREE downloads.