New Year, new me. Nah. I'm fine just the way I am. Doing the things I love. Like enjoying

a latte on the bus with some music or on a walk with a friend. My only resolution is

to enjoy more of what I love. Like switching up my usual with oat, soy, almond or coconut.

All delicious non-dairy alternatives available at Starbucks. For no extra charge. While stocks

last, subject to availability.

This is Optimal Living Daily episode 1847, the art of being grateful on really hard days.

By Mark Schernoff of MarkAndAngel.com. And I'm Justin Malik, the guy who's been reading

articles, book excerpts, essays, sometimes stories, everyday including holidays for over

five years. Today is sort of a holiday, I guess a half holiday, New Year's Eve. Thank

you for being here to start the New Year off right. Means a lot. And on that note, let's

get this kicked off with some words on gratefulness and start optimizing your life.

The art of being grateful on really hard days by Mark Schernoff of MarkAndAngel.com.

Quote, if you're always grateful for the little things, it's hard to avoid happiness. It's a lack of

gratitude that often keeps us feeling down and quote, there's a little ritual, angel and I

practice every single day that can turn hard days into easier ones and extremely difficult life

situations into far better ones. And it won't surprise you either. It's the ritual of gratitude.

Of course, this is such a fundamental ritual and yet it's one we often forget to practice.

But when we do practice diligently, it can quickly transform both our minds and our lives.

Let me give you a quick example. Just over a decade ago, I remember one specific night I was

struggling with grief and also feeling very stressed about being broke without work and unhappy

with the direction of my life. I was depressed and very lost. But that night I pushed myself hard

to put things into perspective. I wrote out a list of everything I was truly grateful for,

...