Daily Gratitude: Today is world gratitude day!! When things aren’t going so well, what do you think about? When my race was spiraling downward in July, I wasn’t thinking of gratitude. I was thinking discouragement, despair and disillusionment. That’s always a recipe for not achieving success. The universe was sending me signs that plainly said “be grateful” (the dog hit by a car, the cute kittens, the adorable little puppy) but I had my blinders on. Later I saw all these blessings for what they were. But our goal is to see them when they appear and to be grateful for what we have when we have it and not have to wait until later. Had I paid attention to being grateful, my energy and spirit would have been lifted so I could better address what wasn’t going so well. This takes practice and effort. It’s why I encourage all of us (including me) to focus on our gratitudes every single day. Stuck in traffic? Be grateful you have a car and a place to go. Something simple. Having to wait in line to check out in the grocery store? Be grateful you have the money to pay for your groceries even if you’ve had to cut down perhaps. There are people out there who can’t even afford a tenth of what you have in your cart. Take one day and devote time to this and see if your energy and outlook change.