November is upon us! I’m not sure where October went but here we are. I’m not sure about you but with Thanksgiving at the end of November, I always do my best to try to practice gratitude and thankfulness a little more during this month.

Have you ever noticed that when you force yourself to be grateful, you can see your circumstances differently?

One year for a Christmas party we were having at work my team decided we would cook the dinner. We wanted something nice for our program and we knew catering wasn’t an option. Well by the end of the night we were exhausted. We were slap happy as we washed and scrubbed all the dishes. The event had gone well, but it was so much work.

Someone asked me how I was and all I could think to say was, “Well I’m grateful we are at least all cleaning up together.” Sure it was sarcastic but it lifted my spirit and soon everyone was saying something they were grateful for. Yes, all the answers were laced with sarcasm and humor but we found things to be grateful for in that moment.

This thinking carried beyond that evening. My team started saying what we were grateful for every time we started feeling down or annoyed at something.

The truth is, no matter what you go through there is always something to be grateful for. It might not be easy to see. It might not be what you wanted, but you can still be grateful.

I’m issuing a challenge to all of you. Every day in November, I challenge you to name one thing you are grateful for and write it down. Having a bad day? Cool, find something to be grateful for. The more you force yourself to live in a spirit of gratefulness the more you will see your attitude shifting to joy.

We created a free printable to make it easy for you to participate in our 30 Days of Thankfulness challenge. At the end of the month you’ll be able to look back at your list and remember all the things you were thankful for. Download the free printable below!