Today begins a 5 part series on how to make more time for gratitude. As I talk about having more gratitude in your life, and writing handwritten cards, you may be thinking to yourself that you don't have time for this.

It's a bit like those that I encourage to workout.

Having come from a fitness background, I've heard all of the excuses...and not having enough time is #1.

Well as my friend and business coach Pat Rigsby has told me..."you make time for what's important to you."

This is true! But I also want to give you some practical ways to make more time for writing thank you cards or writing in a gratitude journal.

These tips won't just help you make more time for gratitude, they'll allow you to get more done in your day so you have more free time to spend with your kids, your significant other or having fun.

Today's tip - Follow the Pomodoro Technique: Use a timer to break down work into intervals. For example, give yourself a block of 50 minutes to do focused work. Then take a 10 minute break. Do this several times a day, and you'll find yourself being super productive. It’s almost like a race against the clock. How much work can you get done before the timer goes off. OK that’s tip #1. Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about how to avoid distractions.

To help keep the feelings of gratefulness alive and part of your day, write little positive notes and post around the house so they are in plain sight as a steady reminder of all that is good.

Go through the alphabet and think about 1 thing you’re grateful for that begins with each letter of the alphabet, beginning with the letter A, and continuing all the way through Z. Doing this when you lay down to go to sleep is a great way to end your day with gratitude.

We can forgive for a better life by focusing on what we can be thankful for in a situation where a person has harmed us. This is tough, especially when the harm was life altering. However, if we can look for the good that came out of the situation, it can help us to forgive and heal.

I found this article on the website TheChickenWire.com. It was called Humble at the Top: Why These CEOs Still Write Thank You Notes

One of the people they profiled was Frank Blake: Former CEO, The Home Depot

Frank Blake learned the art of writing notes from one of America’s masters of the practice, President George H.W. Bush. He served as Deputy Counsel when Bush was Vice President.

“Vice President Bush started every day by typing notes to people,” Blake said. “You knew they were typed by him because some of the letters were off line and there could be misspellings. I saw the power of taking the time to write a nice word to someone.”

When Blake became CEO of The Home Depot in 2007, he established a process for writing notes: regional and district managers sent him recommendations of store associates whose work or service deserved recognition. Blake spent a half-day or more each weekend writing notes by hand – and was inspired by what he learned.

“Our people did amazingly generous things for others,” he said. “It was a great way for me to end the week.”

It is important, he added, to be specific in the notes. And they don’t have to be long – most of his are two or three sentences and usually cover only the front of a monogrammed card.

“In an age of email and texts, there is something personal and special about a handwritten note,” Blake said. “I have saved every meaningful note I have ever received.”

Pretty awesome!

Last week, I profiled a company called Wufoo where the team gets together each week to write handwritten notes to some of their customers. Well not only are they making their customers feel special which has led to 50% higher retention rates, but the card writing serves as a team bonding experience. That’s right - as the team comes together each Thursday to write cards, they are getting to know one another on a more personal, intimate level. It serves as a time where they get to know each others’ hobbies, families and other interests. What a great way to feel more connected as a team at work.

This tip follows along nicely with yesterday’s tip of realizing that you are enough. Today I want you to Create Gratitude Affirmations: Saying affirmations helps us to replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts. We have beliefs about ourselves that, if we changed then, we would take more risks, overcome our self-imposed limitations and enjoy life more. So write down positive affirmations about yourself, really believe them and be grateful for them.

A couple days ago, my tip was to encourage you to realize that you have enough. You have all you need in life. Today, I want to encourage you to realize that you ARE enough. Many of us talk about ourselves in a negative way. Challenge your inner critic with thoughts of thankfulness, which will immediately turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. The other way you can think about this is when you’re writing down your gratitude each morning, make it about you. What’s a quality about yourself that you love? Write that down. And do this every single day.

This was an awesome email I received from one of my gratitude newsletter readers. Her name is Ally and she works as a housekeeper. She said...

“You may recall, I work as a housekeeper at a major resort here in Seaside, Oregon. I wanted to share with you a bright moment from my day. A guest had left a tip upon departing. More important than the money was a handwritten note: "Housekeeping - thanks for all you do!"

The $$ will buy me a latte, but the note will warm me for a long time to come. Proof that Gratitude is such a powerful tool in our world.”

You Have Enough. Remember: There is nothing lacking. Our minds tend to lean towards what we are lacking in life instead of all the abundance that exists around us. We always have the choice to think about what is scarce or what is abundant in life. What’s key is to recognize this choice and the value this shift in mindset brings.