My Resolution: Attitude of Gratitude

January 1st marks the day we all make our annual resolutions. Whether it's to get in shape, spend more time with loved ones or to just get organized, we expertly craft these New Years resolutions with an immense amount of hope and anticipation of the changes to come.

And every year, the majority of us will somehow fail to follow through with the very resolutions that excited and inspired us only a few short months earlier.

So this year, I'm resolving to do something a little different, a little outside the box...something completely absent of self. I'm resolving to spend the year in gratitude.

An attitude of gratitude

As we endured a tremendously challenging year in the industry, it struck me that only the few that remain when all of the dust settles will really understand what true perseverance is all about.

It isn't about "sucking it up" or " dealing with the hand you've been dealt," but rather about finding yourself through tumultuous times and resolving to finally do a few things differently when given the opportunity.

So what better opportunity than the New Year to make a resolution to say "thank you", "I'm grateful for you" or "You have inspired me"...just a little bit more to those around you?

It was Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient that said, “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

Each of us has someone or something that has lit the way even when the road feels darkest. It's within those dark moments that we become the person we've always hoped to be....and truly always were, we just hadn't allowed our own light to shine.

Who are the people in your life that need your gratitude today?

By maintaining an attitude of gratitude with each new day this year, I hope to develop the habit of appreciating what I have instead of dwelling on what I don’t have. I look forward to the peace and joy that comes with knowing I've started my day on a positive note and maintained an outlook of gratitude towards the abundance that surrounds me.

I look forward to not only the wins this coming year, but the challenges as well since I appreciate the lessons that come from those difficult moments we all must face.

Whatever your resolutions this year, I hope you'll join with me in thanking those that have made your previous years a little bit more enjoyable and far more bearable on those days when life seemed bleakest. It's their sunshine that allows us to persevere!

I wish for you a New Year full of love from family & friends, good health so that you may enjoy each day to the fullest and joy so that you may feel fulfilled in each and every moment that you're given!