“When you want what you’ve got and you’re grateful for what you’ve got, that’s true prosperity,”-- Ekhert Tolle.

These days, when we’re all so busy and stretched to the limit, I know it’s difficult to take the time to think about all that we’re thankful for. So make sure this November you pause each day to reflect on the good things in your life.

Nothing is too small to include on your gratitude list. I’m thankful for a roof overhead, thriving children, food to eat, a fruitful marriage, gainful employment, my art etc. I’m also thankful for the little things—like the fact that my daughter has an easy to maintain hairstyle this week. And A few days ago I was feeling under the weather and I was thankful that we had the foresight to get some Theraflu before I got sick. I’m thankful for 99 cent notebooks and short lines in the grocery store. I’m grateful for early morning library hours which allow me to visit almost daily before work.

According to the Law of Attraction, gratitude attracts more of the things we’re thankful for. You can express your gratitude in so many ways. You can write down the things that you’re thankful for in your journal. Also when you take notice of something you like, when you celebrate something positive or when you remember a good event these are all expressions of gratitude.

Of course the mother of all forms of gratitude is to give a heartfelt “thank you” to someone else. And the person doesn’t necessarily have to know you personally or even be alive. I am indebted to the late writer Charles Bukowski who gave the world the novel Factotum. I think about that book just about every day when I trot off to work. It’s a darned good book and I’m so thankful to have experienced it.

Being grateful is good for your physical health. Psychologists Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough discovered that grateful people tended to be
more alert, enthusiastic and optimistic. Grateful people also reported fewer physical ailments and were more willing to help others.

Once you’ve practiced being thankful during November, make it a permanent part of your life. When I interviewed actress and educator Leila Danette Smalls many years ago, as parting words she gave me this piece of advice. She said “the tribal people of the world believe that there are three things that everyone should do to be a good person…First, everyone should pray everyday. Second, everyone should give gratitude everyday. And third, everyone should perform a service for someone or something every day.”