With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I couldn’t help but reflect on a habit that changed my life this year—gratitude. In a culture that often seems to rush us to a blur of hectic schedules and constant demands, incorporating this practice into my life consistently was one of the best choices I’ve made in recent times.

The concept of gratitude has been ever-present in my life. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that loves celebrating every little accomplishment and finding joy in the simple moments. Even so, as I navigated the challenges of adulthood, I realized that on the less exceptional days, that practice was often forgotten.

Despite how cliche this topic has become on social media, many people have yet to make it a consistent habit in their lives. When I made the decision to keep a daily tab of things I was grateful for, it meant that even on the tough and less enjoyable days, I had to find reasons to be grateful. 

At first, I tried writing three things down in my journal every day but kept forgetting since journaling isn’t something I do daily. Then, I switched to notes on my phone, and it surprised me how I sometimes found myself struggling to fill up those three lines. As I grew into this practice, I found myself going on and on beyond the bullet points, into pages of my screen, overflowing with words that fill me up as I pour them out.

Through this journey of finding grace in the little things, I discovered the transformative power of true contentment. How easy is it to be thankful on the good days when everything is happening as planned? The real magic happens when you find gratitude on the hard days, when things seem to be crumbling into pieces. This routine of reflection taught me to pay attention to the tiny miracles and hidden blessings of the ordinary, things that I usually would just have overlooked.

I want to be very clear that the purpose behind all this is not to sugarcoat things. In fact, that’s the last thing I want to do here. Life can be hard! It can get difficult and incredibly challenging sometimes, but this is a practice that will soften those days, take you out of the “battlefield”, and invite you to look at your own life from the outside in.

I have to say, the most pleasant people that I have ever met were those who exhale gratitude for the littlest things in life; people who have been through a lot more in a day than I have in my entire life, but who have learned how to live out their lives in the purest form of selflessness, being grateful even for the air they get to breathe each day. I don’t know about you, but that is what I strive for, a sense of gratitude that can keep us light, through thick and thin; and that allows us to pour that out into those around us.

This practice has also brought so much value into my relationship with God, reminding me to stay present and notice His care in the details, even during difficult moments. It made me realize how often I had taken for granted the answers to old prayers of mine, blessings that, in the monotony of the day-to-day, had become ordinary occurrences. The habit of acknowledging them each day, and writing it down, rekindled my awareness of His continuous grace in my life.

When it comes to pouring it out into the world, I think there’s still a long road ahead of me, learning to cultivate this grateful spirit, not only while I write things down, but everlastingly! As anything else in life, this is a process, and I am grateful to know that I’m on track to become that person and to have the opportunity to take a new tiny step toward it every day I get to be here on this earth.

Even though the topic of gratitude may have become another social media trend, its true power lies in making it a consistent part of our lives. By incorporating this simple practice into my daily routine, I’m continuously learning to cultivate gratitude as a mindset and as the lens that I wear through the good and bad days of my life. So, as my favorite American holiday approaches, I invite you to join me in embracing gratitude, not only on this one designated day, but in all of the ordinary ones—because there is always something to be thankful for!

If you have a second, I encourage you to leave three things that you are grateful for in the comments! Let it be your first step in embracing this journey, and maybe you’ll get to inspire others while you’re at it.

Wishing you many, many reasons to be grateful for this week!