Without gratitude, is joy possible? This is a question I had never truly asked myself until seeing this interview between Oprah and TED speaker, Brené Brown.

I think it’s become so easy for us to often ignore the little things we’re grateful for. We go throughout our day saying “thank you” but is it just an automatic response, or are we truly meaning it when we say it? As Brené talks about in this short video, so many of us are suffering from what she calls, “foreboding joy”. We find happiness in things but not without the underlying feeling that it’s too good to be true. If you’re this happy, something is bound to go awry, right? That is absolutely not the case! 

You should always strive to be grateful and happy for all that you have achieved and received, rather than only dwelling on the things you have yet to gain. Without the consistency of gratitude in your life, joy is an emotion that we can’t fully embrace.

This time of year presents a great opportunity for each of us to express our gratitude for the thing and people we have in our lives. There is so much to be grateful for each and every day… I am so blessed to have such a loving and supportive family, as well as friends. To be able to wake up and do what I LOVE is something I am undoubtably grateful for, and I want to be able to give my growing community the same opportunity. You all inspire me and I hope to continue to inspire you as we grow together. You have so much potential, and if I can help you realize that, and achieve all that you desire, it brings me an unbelievable amount of happiness.

Let’s continue to inspire each other to live the most extraordinary lives possible… let’s be grateful for each other and all of the opportunities life brings, not just around the holidays, but every day in between as well.

Please share your comments below as I know many people relate to this topic. Have you been foreboding joy? How do you practice gratitude?

Happy Thanksgiving!