Even on your darkest days you can get to gratitude in three easy steps. Here’s the low-down!

1. Take Inventory

There’s ALWAYS SOMETHING to be grateful for. It’s just true. There always is.

Every complaint is a request. Where you see a complaint (“The financial news is so bad!”) there’s a request underneath it (“I want to feel more secure about my finances.”) Find the request, and let the complaint go.

Start with the basics if stepping towards gratitude it feels like a stretch; I’m grateful for my breath. I’m grateful for my well being. I’m grateful for my home. I’m grateful for my children.

When all else fails, think of what others don’t have. And then count your blessings for the abundance you have in your own life. This is a drastic and potentially dangerous step that may call up guilt or pain for some of us compassionate types. But it is a good reminder.

Release your own suffering. It’s so miniscule in the larger scale. And then you can move on to creating more abundance in the world.

2. Build a Gratitude List

You can make your list clean and pragmatic – I make a list in my text edit program sometimes, just to shift my mood – or you can make it pretty, and put it up somewhere visible as a constant reminder of the things you’re grateful for. Either way, enjoy the process of watching the list grow as you remember more and more things that you’re grateful for.

Always state gratitude in the positive. Turn “I’m grateful it’s not raining today” into “I’m grateful for this sunny day.” Turn “I’m glad we didn’t get kicked out this month” to “I’m glad we have this home.”

Why? Because focus is everything. Even if you say I’m glad we didn’t get kicked out this month, you’re thinking about the possibility of being kicked out. This is likely to create a stress response – the opposite of what we trying for here!

If you say” I’m grateful for this home,” you get the feeling of gratitude, not only for the fact that you have a roof over your head, but this very roof! How much better does that feel? That’s what you want to achieve – that feeling of safety, gratitude, warmth, grace.

3. Commit to Action!

Choose at least three of the things on your list, and make plans – ones that you’re able to immediately implement – that will increase the experience or presence of those three things in your life.

The plan can be directly related to the list item; like, if you’re thankful for running, schedule in running. Or, the plan can be more loosely related. If you’re grateful for your kids, you can schedule some quality time, or you could write them a gratitude note, or you could give them some sort of special gift.

Whatever the plans are, make them easily within reach, and make them things that make you happy when you think about them. If you follow those two basic guidelines you’re sure to follow through. According to scientific studies, completion of tasks increases the happy-chemicals in your brain. So you get rewarded over and over again for taking just a few simple and sweetly joyous steps.

If you’d like a fun and easy way to find help in cultivating your gratitude, you could always get Gratitude Games! More info at www.gratitudegames.com.