I have this canvas hanging up on my wall (me, and the two million other girls who shop at Target), that reminds me to "start each day with a grateful heart". It looks really cute hanging up in my room and when I do look at it, I think to myself "aw, what a great sentiment", and then continue on with my day. But am I actually starting each day with a grateful heart? I would like to say yes but I often find myself anxious about the day ahead and already stressed about my seemingly never-ending to-do list.

Recognizing that each time we wake up in the morning is a blessing can change the way we live our lives if we let it. Instead of focusing on how Monday's are the worst, be glad that you've gotten to see another Monday. I'm not trying to get all sappy here, but if nothing else goes right in your day, be grateful you got another day.

It can be really easy to focus on how stressed we are. I love that quote "too blessed to be stressed", but I think I'm both. Definitely more blessed than stressed, but still, I'm stressed y'all.

However, I try not to let that become the most important thing in my life. Yes, I am stressed, but I also have a lot of good going on in my life.

We're all busy with a lot on our plates, but that's not our only identifier. We're more than the tasks we take on and checking stuff off on our to-do lists. We're the laughs we share with our roommates every day, the times we let our friends cry on our shoulders, the memories we've made with our families. We're more than the plusses and minuses of our lives, but let's choose to look at the plusses.

Looking at the plusses works to defeat the negatives that threaten to take over our lives. Choosing to seek out the good in your life can make a bad day much more bearable than if you let everything that went wrong take up space in your heart and your mind.

I know that Thanksgiving just happened and you might be tired of people telling you to be thankful or count your blessings, but we need to! Instead of focusing on gratitude for this one season every year, make it a part of your daily life. Practice gratitude every single day.

In case you are struggling with things that are right in your life, let me remind you of a few…

You woke up today.

You have people in your corner.

You've made it this far, and you will keep making it.

I know sometimes it seems like we can't catch a break: failing a test you studied so hard for, not getting a position you applied for, and break-ups are just the tip of the iceberg sometimes. It's easy to let those things take priority in our lives, but today and every day moving forward, let's not forget to be grateful.