“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Melody Beattie

Today is my Dad’s birthday.  It will be the first time in 45 years that I cannot pick up the phone to call him, or give him the super special poems, CD’s or handmade cards I found so much joy in making for my #1 guy.  Instead, I dedicate this post to him, and hope that since he got to heaven 10 months ago, that he made sure they got an Internet connection.  Cause if anyone could make it happen, it’s my Dad.

So what does this have to do with gratitude you ask?  One of the gazillions of lessons I have learned on my amazing, difficult and crazy journey, is about focusing on gratitude.  And when I do, it makes dealing with the hard stuff a way easier.  The quote above has incredibly deep meaning to me, so much so, that I tattooed on my arm, just in case I forget to be grateful.  It happens.

So many of us get stuck in all the craziness that life throws our way.  Each of you take in so much everyday, listening to your clients and team mates troubles, and sometimes we absorb that energy, sound familiar? The awesome news is we have a choice of what we get to do with the crazy, and when we choose to focus on gratitude, its amazing what can happen. Try it, I dare you!

One thing I was taught several years ago is when I get into a dark, sad place, which for me, is more often than I think people know, is to get out a piece of paper, or phone or whatever, and write 5 things I am grateful for.  Even in the toughest of days, we can all find 5 things.  Here is my list for today.

Nina’s Gratitude List
1. The 45 years I got to spend with my awesome Dad. I cherish each moment and memory, even the not so pleasant ones.
2. The love and support of my family and friends, no matter which decisions I make for myself, they’ve always got my back.
3. My unconditional loving dogs, Faith + Zen, without them, my life would be beige.
4. The journey I have been on learning how to match my outsides to my insides.
5. For Passion Squared (and my biz soul mate Gordon) which allows me to share my passion with the people I love.

Now it’s your turn.  What 5 things are you grateful for today?  If you are feeling courageous, jump on over to our Facebook page and share your list on our wall, or click here to share it just with us.  Or text it to a friend.  Just make one.  It works.

(shared with LOVE + GRATITUDE from your passionista Nina)

PS: Happy Birthday Dad, I love you infinity and beyond.