By now most of us  are aware of all the research around how being grateful helps us live a happy life. Like many of you, learning there is a connection between gratitude and happiness was enough for me to dive in head first in practicing being grateful over the past 12 months. While doing this, I have found that in order to get the full benefit of a grateful attitude, you need to actively pursue gratefulness each day. It's not enough to just feel thankful.

What starts as a thought, moves to a belief and can end up affecting the person you become. The first time I noticed this principal at work in my life was when I was in middle school.  At age 13 going to school seemed pointless. But there was one class that I looked forward to. That was Mr. Marcos’ Health class.

When you think of the people in your life, think of a tree. Let’s call it

The Friendship Tree.

My daughter walked up to me and announced, “I need eyeliner. Can we buy some?” My head turned. This was a new request from my 13 year old so I asked.  “What makes you want that all of the sudden?”  She answered, “My friend said she feels 50% more confident when she wears eyeliner to school.”