The Gift of Gratitude

---May 2018---

On our (extra long) drive back to upstate New York from Savannah, Georgia I realized how thankful I am for the little things in life. It was nice to take time to reflect. The beauty of mountains, the smell of fresh rain, the taste of the first sip of coffee, the sound of laughter with good company, the freshly turned bright green leaves. These are all things we often take for granted. Although it's not an easy lesson to learn, things don't have to be perfect to be great.

I challenge you to do the following things in the next few days. Don't just read these and procrastinate the ideas... challenge yourself and actually DO them! Hold yourself accountable.

• Before you fall asleep, think of two positive things that happened to you during that day. Even if you had a crappy day, this is so important. Going to bed in a good mood seems to have a positive impact on your sleep. Write them down, make a note in your phone, tell your significant other or just simply think of them. Once you get in the habit of doing this, I bet you'll wake up on the RIGHT side of the bed more!

• Send some old fashioned snail mail to someone important to you and let them know you're thinking of them. This could be an old friend, a grandparent, a teacher from many years ago..whoever comes to mind! Don't overthink it. (Shout out to my friend Amy, who always keeps in touch even if we don't see each other too often!)

• Do a random act of kindness. It doesn't have to be significant or anything crazy. It could be as simple as smiling at a stranger, holding the door open for someone, telling the cashier to have a great day, complimenting someone's outfit, etc. This can totally turn someone's day around (and will make you feel good too!) 

• Everyone always says they're "too busy." When did being extremely stressed out and busy become the norm?! Make the time to spend time with positive people, it'll be well worth it. Schedule times to grab lunch or coffee, a quick road trip, anything really, with people you love. (16 hours in the car from GA to NY didn't sound fun at ALL, but it ended up being a blast! We played trivia, listened to music, told stories, and joked the whole entire ride)

There's something about being kind to yourself and to others that makes life so much better. Ya know the saying that you never know what someone else is going through? Take a minute to reflect on that. While you're at it, imagine a world full of kindness and positivity. I know sometimes it seems like a far stretch but let's work together to make a step towards that. 

How do you show gratitude in your life? Let me know down below!

Want to hear more about my trip to Savannah, Georgia?! Check out my post!