Today I am Thankful For...

"Every day may not be good, 

but there is something good in every day." 

I don't know who said this, but it is the reason I started a new daily ritual this week. On my flight home from Buffalo a few weeks ago, I started reading The 18 Secrets to Happiness by Karl Moore. Rule #2 was to "Be Grateful" and talks about finding time each day to be thankful for the blessings in your life. You all know I have a huge appreciation for the little things in life, but even I am guilty of letting a tough day get to me.

I decided to start keeping a notebook by my bed so that each night before bed, I can jot down a short list of the things I am grateful for each day. Sometimes the list is long, other times it might be one or two things that stood out to me that day. It might be a list of big things like my family, job or health, while other days it might be how much I laughed out loud or the fact that I saw a rainbow on my way home from work. The important thing is that no matter what kind of day I have..good, bad, frustrating, stressful...these positive thoughts will be the last thing I focus on before I go to bed, ending my day on a positive note no matter what.

Some of you (especially those who know me well) might be rolling your eyes at me because I am so cheesy, but you should really try this. If you find yourself at the end of a rough day, this might help you let it go and end it on an optimistic note, rather than rehashing everything that went wrong. I'm only a week in, but I really enjoy this new addition to my day!

What do you do to keep things in perspective? Do you have any daily rituals like this?