Gratitude...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

-- Melodie Beattie

Today I am truly uplifted. In a world full of stress and constant motion, it is good to sit for a moment and be grateful. Take more then a moment. Take 15.

Find a notebook and start a gratitude journal. Every day write down 5 things that you are grateful for. 5 things that happened in your day that were good, that made you smile, that made you laugh, or made you think, "hey, my life is pretty great." This little exercise will have an amazing affect. DOn't be surprised if you start waking up just a little happier.

So, what am I grateful for today?

Well, I just returned home from an amazing conference at the Jazz at Lincoln Center for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, the school where I hold my Holistic Health Counseling credentials. Today I listened to some amazing speakers : Andrea Beaman, JJ Smith, Kathy Swift, and the amazing Dr. Daniel Amen. I am so grateful that I got to be there and be apart of this force who's one goal is to help people find health and happiness.

I am also grateful that I am healthy. I have taken my own body to new levels of health and I am so happy with that. I live firm with the belief that there is always room for improvement but to be happy with all the little accomplishments. This past week I took on a little detox. I found that it wasn't very far off from how I eat already, BUT I did kick one habit, caffeine! No more coffee for this girl unless it's decaf. Proud of this step forward and so I celebrate it. As we all should. It's those little accomplishments that help us reach the big goal.

I am grateful for the ability to acknowledge that I don't have all the answers. No one does. what I do have is knowledge to learn what I don't know and to share what I do. The day one feels they know it all is the day they might as well hang up their hat and move on. Trust your heart, have a thirst for knowledge, admit when you don't, and keep yourself open to new information, because there is always something out there worthy of learning.

That is 3 of mine today. I encourage you now to go find a quiet space, a notebook. Take a deep breath. Now write out your 5 gratitudes for the day.