When you’re going through hard times, practicing gratitude can feel more like a mandatory exercise than a genuine act. I mean, when you suffer excruciating pain every day, struggle to make ends meet, or are grieving the loss of a loved one, it’s hard to feel grateful for the things that are going well.

As humans, we tend to get caught up wishing for things that we don’t have, and comparing ourselves to others. This can be harmful to our peace of mind and leave us unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

When you find yourself focusing on the challenges in your life, or how far you have to go to reach a goal, take a moment to change your focus.

What do you do when you appreciate someone for what they have done?

How many times do we say “thank you” to ourselves? How many times do we give thanks to our bodies for functioning properly? Not many times I guess.

It’s not always easy to show up to life. We don’t always stop to examine just how much effort we put forth in everyday living.

One way to value yourself more is to be grateful for everything you do.

Developing a gratitude practice of acknowledging what you’re grateful for or appreciate every day, will expand the value of the things you are grateful for.

Developing a gratitude practice may seem strange or difficult at first.  After a few days, it gets easier to identify and express gratitude for the things you’re grateful for.

Challenge for today.

Show gratitude for everything that happened and will happen today, write it down in your gratitude journal.

Do well to share what you are grateful for today with me in the comment section, I look forward to hearing from you.

Having lists of things to be grateful for helps remind us just how many good things we have in our lives. This is especially important during times where it feels like many things are going wrong.

Challenge for today.

1. Out of your gratitude journal consisting of the things you are grateful for, pick one out and be grateful for that today and make it your confession today.

Do well to share the one thing you are grateful for today and your experience with me in the comment section.

Many of us express gratitude by saying “thank you” to someone who has helped us or given us a gift. From a scientific perspective, however, gratitude is not just an action: it is also a positive emotion that serves a biological purpose.

1. Make a decision today to always be grateful for everything and always write what you are grateful for in your journal.

2. Sit back and write out everything you can remember that you are grateful for including all experiences in your gratitude journal and you will be amazed by what you have and have achieved.

Do well to share your experience with me in the comment section.

Gratitude is such a powerful emotion, one that can make your life better in so many ways. It can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.