Today I’d like to discuss cultivating an attitude of gratitude. How do you get started on a journey of acknowledging and appreciating all of the goodness in your life?
Here are three simple steps:
Step 1: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude in which you choose to see the good in all things.
Step 2: Say “thank you” every chance you get.
Step 3: Every week write a gratitude list.
Being grateful doesn’t mean you must always be happy and walk around with a smile on your face. It means that you make an effort to acknowledge what you have to be thankful for. Gratitude lifts the spirit, opens the heart, and nourishes the soul. Think about the times when you’ve been grateful, it’s easier to feel good about yourself because you are willing and able to see the good in others.
Every day I think about all that I have to be grateful for:
- My mother
- My relationship with my mother
- The fact that I truly love my mom
- That I am financially able to do things with, and for her
- A wonderful husband who lets me be ME
- Enough to eat
- Many comfortable beds to sleep in
- The ability to live the life I love
- Friends that matter
- A clean and sober life
- My beautiful animals
- That I love and value animals
- My education
- That, and so much more…
What are you grateful for today? Think back over your life to where you were 20-, 10-, 5-, 1-year ago. If you can’t think of anything, extend your net a little wider to include the last week, month or year. Consider also looking beyond the obvious. Perhaps the answer might be something you’d never think about, like being able to see, being able to walk, having a job, or not having a job so you have time to do what you want.
Starting today make a pledge to yourself to make gratitude a bigger part in your daily life. Through my own experience, I can tell you with great confidence that it will change your life in profound ways!

Francine D. Ward
Attorney-At-Law, Author, Speaker
Follow Francine:
Don’t miss Francine’s Latest Blogs:
- How to Survive InflationSurviving High Inflation How to Survive Inflation. With inflation at a forty-year high, the rising cost of living is affecting everyone. While you may feel some distress as you watch […]
- Contract MistakesContract Mistakes Contract Mistakes. No Written Agreement.Probably the number one contract mistake people make is not having written agreements with everyone they do business with. I am always amazed by […]
- 31 Days of Estate PlanningEstate Planning Blogs Estate Planning Blogs. Have you ever wished there was one location to find basic information about estate planning? One location where you could get some definitions for […]
- Trust Mill ScamsDo You Really Want to Work? Five years ago, people complained they couldn’t find work. Today, there are so many jobs available, and no one wants to work. Instead, robbers, […]
- Probate Process — Basic StepsProbate Process Probate process basic steps. When someone passes away, their estate is generally required to go through probate unless there was a valid trust in place. It is a […]