If you’ve read my bio or know me at all, you know that I have what my wife would describe as an “unhealthy obsession with sneakers.” I would call it a deep appreciation but I digress. It occurred to me the other day though that she may be on to something. 

A few days ago, I was scrolling through some photos looking for one that I could use for a conference bio and I kind of forgot what I was doing. Suddenly, I found myself mindlessly scrolling completely devoid of purpose. As I was scrolling, I saw a sweet pair of Jordan 6 Bordeauxs. 

As I was admiring them, I kind of snapped back to reality and remembered what I was doing. In that moment, I also realized… they were my shoes. I had completely forgotten that I owned these shoes. Like I said, I may have a problem, but at the same time, it felt like getting a new pair of shoes! 

Maybe you don’t identify with my shoe problem, but I think we can all relate with the occasional gratitude problem. I have a lot of shoes, apparently so many that I forget about the occasional pair. I also have a lot of blessings and things to be grateful for, so many in fact, that I often forget a couple here and there. 

It’s so easy to get stuck focusing on the negative things or the hard things that are in front of us. But I bet if we take a long and honest look, there are way more good things in our lives than problems. Make today a day that is marked by gratitude. Take a look back at your week, your month, or even last year and make a list of things you can be grateful for. And get beyond the low hanging fruit too. Dig deep and find the blessings that you’ve forgotten about or buried. Let it propel you forward in gratitude and keep you focused on the positive things in your life. It will be way more fun than a new pair of shoes! 

*Take this challenge: Set a timer for 15 minutes. Spend that time in silence making a list of things you are grateful for. Can you come up with 50?