I’m sure that many of you know about the daily Gratitude exercise to state 3 things out loud for which you are grateful.

It’s a great way to start each day. Especially if it’s one of those mornings where you just don’t feel great.

The American holiday of Thanksgiving takes the idea of gratitude to a whole other level. Along with the stress of travel, cooking, preparation and family interactions. It seems like our gratitude list has to be much stronger to get us through.

When I create my gratitude list, I realize that most things are outside of me. I am grateful for my loving husband, family, supportive friends, beautiful home, wonderful clients and much more.

Gratitude counts!

Why don’t we include aspects of ourselves for which we are also most grateful?

I think it’s because for most of us our default is to focus on others, help others, love others, before we outwardly profess loving ourselves.

Yet, if we want to raise our happiness quotient, here’s a sure way:

TAKE TIME TO APPRECIATE YOURSELF.

ASK: “What am I grateful for about me?”

What comes to mind? Is it easy to find things you like about you? Or are focusing on what you don’t like or appreciate about yourself?

Here are some ideas to get your gratitude juices flowing. Consider physical characteristics, emotional, mental, the ways you approach others, your gifts and talents. Find at least 3 aspects about you that you like.

If you keep landing on the negative, then flip the negative and consider a facet of the opposite. For example, if you think you are fat, the opposite could be that you are a healthy weight. Scan your whole body and whether you’re fat or a healthy weight, find a part that you can like / appreciate. It might be your hair, your nails, skin, face, nose, eyes, feet, hands. You get the gist.

Have a beautiful thanksgiving and spread the word.

The more each of us includes self-gratitude, along with appreciating other people, places and things in our lives, the more peaceful and loving our world will be.