This is the time of year to give thanks, right? I mean that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, isn’t it? Well I’m here to challenge that notion, not because I don’t believe in gratitude, but because I think it is should be practiced all year-long.

I often find my heart swelling with gratitude for no good reason. While standing sipping tea at the kitchen counter, gratitude will seep into my bones, warming me up from the inside out. Or while speeding down the highway, sunroof open, sun kissing my cheeks – in steps gratitude, causing me to break out in song, smiling from ear to ear (which often results in crazy stares from neighboring vehicles).

When you exist in the space where gratitude is not a seasonal occasion, but an everyday experience, the world looks and feels different. This is not just my own opinion by the way. A study conducted by Robert A. Emmons (UC Davis) and Michael E. McCullough (Univ. of Miami) found that people who recorded 5 things they were grateful for (in very short sentences) once a week, were more optimistic and felt happier after a two month period. Another study done at the University of Kentucky actually found that gratitude actually reduces agression.

There is no denying that practicing gratitude can change your life, for the better. Gratitude will transform thoughts of scarcity into abundance, impatience into tolerance, and greed into generosity.

When I sent out my holiday text message yesterday, I invited everyone to practice gratitude everyday from now on. Will you accept the challenge?

Photos from Microsoft Clip Art gallery