Happy Gratitude Month!  I feel so very 4tunate to have been invited to pen a mini-series here on Lauren Ignited!

Gratitude is a simple action of giving thanks that can brighten your day, change your perspective, and alter the trajectory of your life. Its health benefits are just beginning to be recognized and studied, but the advantages and value have been acknowledged by world leaders, scholars, and change-makers for centuries. In staying with the fortunate mantra, over the days leading up to Thanksgiving I will be showcasing four of my favorite quotes on gratitude & giving and who better to kick this off than Lady O!

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

~ Oprah Winfrey ~

During my travels, I’ve found that no-one…has nothing.  Gratitude has been one of my daily practices to keep me from becoming focused on my lack instead of celebrating what I have.

During this month of Thanksgiving, I challenge you to take a moment each day to find something you are grateful for.  Experts say the best times to practice gratitude are right when you wake up (to start your day off right) or just before you go to sleep (to reflect on the joys of the day). These are your built in “down-times.”

But, if you are like me, and pop out of bed right when the alarm rings and pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow, I use what I have come to call the “Stoplight Method.” Each time I come to a red stoplight, I use that time for gratitude.  Whether that is praying to and thanking your God or just taking a deep breath and consciously acknowledging the beauty around you, the air in your lungs, the sun on your face or the rain feeding the Earth, take that “Stoplight Moment” for gratitude!

In fact, you may be surprised to find a normally frustrating moment waiting at a stoplight doesn’t seem quite as bad when you fill it with gratitude instead of frustration!

Not only is this month of Thanksgiving a perfect time to give focus on all we are 4tunate for, it is a very special month for me as it marks the one-year anniversary of my return to the USA after 34tunate.  So much has happened over the last year that I feel very 4tunate for, and connecting with the Lauren Ignited community is one of them!  I am so happy to have you in my tribe and I would love to keep connecting with you and uplifting one another.

Yours in Gratitude,

Tracy Stayton

If you have not already done so, please sign up for the 4tunate movement at www.4tunate.org, like/follow @be4tunate on social media and tag your pictures with #4tunate and #4tunateFriday.  I will be posting inspirational quotes & stories, upcoming global giving trips you can participate in, and more!  In addition, please feel free to email me any time with questions, suggestions, ideas, connections for speaking/collaboration, stories of gratitude, or just to say “howdy-hi!”

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