Happy November! With Thanksgiving around the corner, there’s a lot of talk about
gratitude! However, gratitude is NOT just a November thing. I talk about gratitude a lot
on my podcast and in my education courses because its literally life changing.

Gratitude is one of the FIRST things I teach in my coaching program for a reason!

On September 24, 2019, I decided to commit to a 30 days of gratitude challenge after
recently reading a few books about gratitude. I got 4 days in and then…
 September 27, Luke’s grandpa died
 September 28, my dad left my mom
 October 1, I find out that my dad left my mom
 October 8, my twin sister found a brain tumor
 October 31, my husband quit his job and I became the bread winner
 November 9, my sister had brain surgery
and on and on…

Through the hardest month of my entire life, gratitude kept me going. Gratitude allowed me to see that God was still with me. Gratitude gave me perspective that even though I was consumed in grief and overwhelm, there was still so much joy. Instead of feeling hopeless and living in the victimhood downward spiral, I could see there was good and hope.

It’s not just me, though! Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can…
 Make you happier
 Reduce anxiety and depression
 Encourage healthier behaviors
 Help with healing and recovery
 Help you find more satisfaction with life
 Help you feel less burnout
 Help you get better Sleep
 Cause you to feel less fatigue
 Increased resilience
and much more…

Dr Robert Emmons, a leading researcher on the topic, says there are 3 stages of
gratitude:
1. Recognizing what we are grateful for
2. Acknowledging it
3. Appreciating it

When I read Dr. Emmon’s research, I realized I mostly live in Stage 1 of gratitude. I
write in my gratitude journal almost every single day – at least 10 things I’m grateful for,
and sometimes I fill a whole page.

I recognize how blessed I am, but do I acknowledge it? Appreciate it? Express it?
Pause what you’re doing. I want you to do this exercise with me right NOW – this is
important.
1. Recognize it – write down 10 things you’re grateful for.
2. Acknowledge it – write down why you are grateful for those 10 things OR reach
out to those 10 things or people and tell them you’re grateful for them.
3. Appreciate it – take a deep breath in and truly appreciate it. Be present in this
moment – use all 5 of your senses experience it.
How do you feel? Write down how this brief gratitude exercise made you feel.
Sometimes (especially that time of the month), I find myself falling into victim mode.
BUT, Victimhood and Gratitude cannot co-exist.

Where do you feel like you’re a victim or where do you feel like life is picking on you?
 Work situation
 Instagram or social media
 In your family
 With your husband
 With your kids
 Your health
 In your finances

Now, pick 1 thing that is particularly difficult for you. Write it down. Then…stop. Re-
focus on gratitude and take back the power! Write down 10 things you’re grateful for
about or because of that 1 difficult thing. I’ve found the MOST power comes when I find
gratitude in the challenges.

Choose Gratitude – flip the script and focus on gratitude in the challenges. Look for the
lessons, teachers, helpers, etc. What you focus on magnifies!

With that being said, I want to start a challenge for the rest of this month!

NOVEMBER GRATITUDE CHALLENGE
For the month of November, write down 1 thing that you’re grateful for every day! There
are 3 ways to complete this challenge:
1. Join my Facebook Group – Kylee Mentors Moms
2. Create a Group Message with your friends

1. Find a friend to share 1 on 1 with each day
   My only rule: you cannot repeat what you’re grateful for – you must find 30 different
   things you’re grateful for throughout the month!