Hey Frugalistas! I wanted to introduce you to a fellow writer and blogger, Amber L. Wright. She is the founder of Talk To Amber. I wanted her to share her journey to gratefulness, something that I struggle with. In this guest post, she shares how she is learning to be more grateful and shares a tool that she created to keep her accountable. Enjoy.

by Amber L. Wright

December 2013 has quietly made its entrance, which means that the year is almost over. Can you believe it?! I want to get ahead of the “New Year’s Resolution” crowd and start planning for 2014 over the next few weeks.

My focus for the rest of this month is to embrace gratitude as a way of being, and not just a feeling. If I am completely honest with you, lately I haven’t been truly grateful for the things I have. I’ve said it, but I’m not sure I’ve really meant it. I’ll admit to getting caught up in wanting “more” (money, specifically – to be all the way real!) and even letting it get me down a few times. In doing that, I have overlooked the many blessings I already have in front of me. I have given thanks to God for all He has given me and in the same breath, essentially say that it’s not enough.

That stops now, though.

I participated in Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s Desire & Destiny, 21 Day Meditation Challenge last month and it was, in a word: amazing. It helped to re-frame my thinking and inspired me in a tremendous way.

Each day there was a centering thought that led us toward tapping into our truest desires. I have decided to turn those thoughts into affirmations that I will continue to meditate on throughout the month of December.

One of the greatest epiphanies I had during the challenge was a statement by Oprah (you know I love me some Oprah!). She said,

“Gratitude is the doorway to abundance.” (Click here to share that goodness on Twitter!)

Ding! That hit me like a ton of bricks!

If we are grateful for what we have, more will come. It’s that simple!

This is not a new lesson for me, but one I am understanding in a new way.

For the remainder of the month, I’ll be digging deeper into creating gratitude as a way of life for me. I’d like to invite you to join me on this  “Journey to GREATfulness Experience.”

I have created a free guide to accompany the journey that has the instructions and is full of goodies to help us live greatly. The guide is exclusively available to my email list subscribers, so you should feel special!

Click here to download your free guide.

If you’re down for the challenge, meet me on Facebook and Twitter (email works, too!) and let me know! Feel free to invite a friend!

The goal here is not to simply express gratitude to get more things, but to learn how to become fully accepting of all that will come our way next year (good or bad).  Doing this will help us unlock our dreams and desires, and compel us to not lose sight of what’s most important as we travel the journey of pursuing our goals.

Sound like a plan?

Good. I’m excited. Let’s grow together!

Amber L. Wright is a Communications Coach and Consultant. Check her out at www.talktoamber.com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkToAmber Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/talktoamber

[info_box type=”alert_box”]Caring for yourself including takes care of your finances.  I encourage all ladies who are serious about self-care to go on The Happy Finances Challenge. In 42 days you can learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness. [/info_box]