I love this time of year. I always jump on the gratitude bandwagon – I usually participate in the #30daysofgratitude and I post stuff about thankfulness all over social media.

The day before Thanksgiving break, my students and I do the “Gratitude Dance” (see below), we make gratitude lists, and we share our thankfulness with one another.

There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with concentrating on gratitude during the month of November. I do it, too!

But what if we stopped just SAYING we are thankful and started LIVING it? What if we stopped just POSTING our thankfulness on social media and actually SPOKE it to our friends and family, WROTE it in letters and notes of appreciation and SHOWED our thankfulness through our actions and life choices?

Today is Thanksgiving, and it is a great reminder for me. I need to remember that my mantras of choosing joy and living every day as the best day ever are really rooted in gratitude.

I choose joy because it is a choice. And to choose joy I need to CHOOSE to be thankful for what I have, what I’ve been given, who I love, and who loves me.

I live the best day ever adventure because I’m not sure when my last day will be. So I need to be thankful for everything – including the storms, the difficult times, and the not-so-fun-stuff. Today just might be my last day. So I will EMBRACE gratitude for WHATEVER I am facing right now.

So, stop JUST saying you’re thankful, peeps.

BE thankful. LIVE thankful. SHARE thankful.

Thankful is a lifestyle.

Go live it!

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Carrie Wisehart is a writer, teacher, mom, speaker, joy-chooser, and best day ever adventurer who wants you to JUMP ON the adventure train and join her for weekly posts!

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