“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu

It’s interesting to see what buzz words trend in business and life from time to time. The current trending work of being grateful seems to be everywhere. There are more book and blogs coming out daily about being grateful and thankful. Remember, being grateful is expressing appreciation outwardly and being thankful is more inward.

Have you examined your own situation to clearly sketch out what you are thankful for. If you are in a sales rut for your business or just generally feeling a bit down and not as happy as normal, consider adding a few gratefulness tips to get out of the funk. Most are familiar with the following list as they are proven through testing over and over.

• Write since thank you notes weekly or monthly.
• Start a Daily Gratefulness Journal: write down three things you are grateful for during the upcoming day and also 1 person you are grateful for having them in your life.
• Reach out to an old friend and reconnect.
• Watch the famous TED talk by David Steindl-Rast about being grateful – https://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful
• Make yourself vulnerable and you will be led to gratitude – Brene Brown.
• Get outside daily and thank the universe – SAY IT OUT LOUD.
• Do a 5-minute mindfulness session every morning for a month and see how your attitude changes.
• Read 1-2 books a month on mindfulness – it’s not weird to meditate.
• Send 3 of your clients a thank you note for being such an important component to your business growth along with a special book centered on their interests.
• Reach out to support a friend or family member with an ear and an idea.
• Monitor your mood – sounds crazy but add a simple mood check in when you wake up and when you go to bed. It’s a simple as just drawing a face with a frown, neutral or smile.
• Volunteer by making sandwiches/lunches to your local food shelter and then serve meals to those less fortunate in your community.
• Simplify you life and remove the negative noise from your daily life.
• Change your attitude over time by just staying in the present and not looking too far in the future.
• Write down 5 Grateful goals with deadline dates to have immediate impact to others.

Good luck and remember to smile every day!