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It feels so wonderful when everyone is in the holiday spirit, that recently I’ve started a new habit to keep that feeling around throughout the year. When someone asks me the traditional question, “How are you”, I smile and say, “I’m grateful!” Usually they are taken aback, as they are expecting me to just say, “Fine, thank you”.

By saying “I’m grateful” out loud, so many good things happen. It is a constant reminder for me of the many blessings in my life for which I am very grateful. The side effects are also remarkable. The person who asked “How are you”, is now consciously thinking about my answer and being reminded of gratitude in their own life.

I’ve had people literally stop what they’re doing, look at me, pause and tell me how awesome that answer is. Then they start sharing the things that they’re grateful for in their life, and instead of a complaint session, we share an attitude of gratitude. Being grateful shifts things.

The principle at work here is the Law of Attraction- what you focus on grows. So, if you’re focusing on things for which you are grateful, more of that will come to you.

The best way to improve your life is to make gratitude a habit. My regular habit is to do a gratitude exercise each morning when I open my eyes. My list may include things like my husband, my children and family, our beloved dog, Koda, or our home, to very specific things like the new-fallen snow or the great evening with friends the night before. Right now our Global Hug Tour is right up there at the top of my list!

I can’t help but smile at the abundance in every area of my life, and from that place, I’m ready to start my day. Nothing will create positive change in your life more than gratitude.

After you’ve completed your Gratitude List, share the feeling of gratitude with others throughout the day. Gratitude is a way of tossing pebbles into the still water, creating multiple concentric circles, ripples that will eventually reach everyone.

Because someone said, “I’m grateful for you”, I imagine the caregiver in a nursing home being happy and kind to her patients, the barista at the local coffee shop greeting everyone with a smile, the janitor where you work whistling as he passes by. We all have a significant impact on one another.

When you share gratitude it is continually passed on to others. Your smile, your kindness will reach many. You will be the little pebble thrown into the pond of life and your ripples will grow exponentially through others. Realizing the impact we have on our fellow man makes me conscious of what kind of ripples I’ll create today.

I choose to impact those around me so that happiness is what continues on and on and on, and I do it with the conscious practice of gratitude. I’m grateful for you!

So why not:
– Start your day with your own gratitude list
– Practice it throughout your day by consciously focusing on what you are grateful for
– Share your gratitude with others by expressing appreciation
– When someone asks you how you are, tell them you’re grateful!
– Share the love by sending this message with others

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Gail Lynne Goodwin is the founder of InspireMeToday.com, bringing the best inspiration to the world. InspireMeToday.com provides free inspiration, each day from a new Inspirational Luminary, to a global community of folks from over 150 countries. Gail has interviewed many well-known names including Sir Richard Branson, Guy Laliberte, Seth Godin, Tony Hseih, Gary Vaynerchuk, Michael Gerber, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and hundreds more. According to Mashable, Gail was one of 2009's Top 25 Most Inspirational People on Twitter.

Prior to InspireMeToday.com, Gail spent several years as manager for her recording artist daughter, Carly. As a result of the success of their co-penned song, "Baby Come Back Home", Gail accompanied her daughter to bases in the US and to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where Carly performed for our troops. Gail and Carly created the 'World's Longest Letter' of love and support and delivered the 18-mile long scroll on a month-long tour of Iraq and the Persian Gulf in 2006.

Gail is excited to present her latest course, Love in 21 Days, a step-by-step guide to finding love online. Love in 21 Days is founded on a logical process that has been tested - and proven! - by not only Gail, but also by students around the world who too have found love.

Gail is a published author and a regular writer for the Huffington Post. She offers mentoring and mastermind services to clients worldwide from her home in Whitefish, Montana. Follow Gail on Twitter or Google+.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Well said! Thanks for promoting the benefits of gratitude. It truly can change your life around. It worked for me.

    I also wanted to spread the word about gratitude, so I created the Gratitude Journal app for the iPhone. Now those iPhone users can keep a gratitude journal right on their phone. It’s so cool to hear all these people tell me this has been the ticket to get them started on their first journal.

    You can learn more here: http://happytapper.com

  2. Dear Carla,

    What a great idea! Glad to hear it’s out there. I’ll have to check out your application now. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Hugs,

    Gail

  3. Dear Sarfaraz,

    Yes, you are more than welcome to post my blog comments on your blog, as long as you also post-

    ©Gail Lynne Goodwin, InspireMeToday.com. This blog being reposted with permission of InspireMeToday.com. Please check out https://inspiremetoday.com for more! Thank you!

    Hope this is helpful. Thank you for your support!

    Happy New Year and hugs,

    Gail

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