Most of us grew up hearing the old adage to "count your blessings."  Have you ever actually taken a moment to ponder what that means?  When something good happens to you, do you take a minute to feel gratitude for that?  As has often been said, gratitude can give a real boost to your emotional mindset.  If you will make a practice of counting your blessings, you will develop an emotional mindset that is more consistently open to life's blessings and miracles. 

A very effective method for keeping track of things you are grateful for is a journal to write in each night before bed.  That doesn't work for everyone and there are other ways to turn your focus toward gratitude.  Here are a few simple ways to count life's blessings every day.

>             Instead of just writing in a journal at bedtime, journal your blessings throughout your day.  Take a small notebook with you and when something good happens, jot it down.  It takes only a few moments to do this.  I have even written down when a store clerk has been especially helpful.  I am always grateful for a little help!  If someone gives me a compliment I would like to remember it, so I write that down.  The smallest things matter and the more you focus on all of these small things during the day, your gratitude for the bigger things will increase as well. 

>             When you have to deal with difficult situations, make it your purpose to find something positive about it.  Use that same little notebook as often as possible.  If someone has made you feel bad, remind yourself by writing down the fact that your emotions are the only ones over which you have any control.  Choose to feel glad and thankful for the freedom to determine your own emotional mindset.  If you are working on a difficult project, choose to accept the challenges with gratitude for the learning opportunity.  It's not always easy to do this, but it does get easier with practice. 

>             One fun way to realize how many of life's blessings really are all around you is to literally count them.  Using that little notebook again, make a mark every time something good happens during the day.  At the end of the day, how many marks do you have?  Here is the really fun part.  Whatever that number is, try to get the number higher every day.  If you are willing to see them, there are thousands of things that happen to you every day about which you could express gratitude. 

You will find yourself counting life's blessings more as you spend time really noticing all the blessings that are truly everywhere.