When you first started Grateful in April, you might have had a few ideas about what you might get from spending a month practicing the art of gratitude.

In the early days you might have had to remind yourself to focus on what is good in your life, but the more you do it, the easier it can became.

Maybe every once in a while you found yourself lapsing a little, but overall, we hope your life has significantly improved as a result of being Grateful in April.

With practice, your inner dialogue can change for the better. We hope you are genuinely thankful for so much and far more aware of who and what you have to be grateful for in your life.  You know it’s a great habit when you don’t actually have to think about it – you can continually think grateful thoughts and it feels fantastic!

There have been many people who have taken this journey with us and we are extremely grateful to each of you for your support and belief that it is possible to make a difference with a positive mindset.

We’ve loved the process and the outcomes, so much so that this is one habit we have no intention of breaking.

We’ll be back for Grateful in April next year with a bigger and better campaign. In the interim, we’re continuing our journey of feeling good about the people, experiences and things we have in our lives.

We’re hoping that keeping up the cause can help create a groundswell of gratitude that you will continue with us.

Thank you for sharing the journey this year. We’ll be back from time to time with little reminders. In the meantime, we’re wishing you all the benefits that having an attitude of gratitude can bring.

From  a personal perspective, Grateful in April has positively changed my life. What impact has it had on yours?

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the hashtag #gratefulinapril

Over the past month you’ve had the opportunity to compile a bedside journal of nearly 100 things you are grateful for in your life.

Maybe you have a book overflowing with gratitude or maybe you meant to write something each day but you missed a night, then another and then forgot again. Maybe you never got started.

Regardless of where you are at, take the time now to list at least 100 things you love about your life. Just start writing and keep going. It doesn’t matter how trivial you may think something is, keep writing until you get to 100.

You are bound to have some moments when you feel you can’t think of anymore things. Try to remember specific moments when you felt happy or grateful and that should get you going again.

Now you have a list to inspire you on an ongoing basis. Keep it handy so that if you are ever having a flat moment, you can read it and perk yourself up.

We’d love you to keep this habit going, so we’ve got some gorgeous tools to help. Check out our range of gratitude journals and card, with 100 per cent of profits going to our charity, the m.a.d.woman foundation. These books have been designed by an Australian artist especially for us. There’s a snapshot of them above and you can find them in the m.a.d. shop.

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the hashtag #gratefulinapril

Cross To Do off your list today.

Yep, today is all about writing a list called ‘Things done’.

We often spend so much time noticing what still needs to be done, that we forget to focus on our achievements and those of the people around us.

We’re quick to cross things off and move to the next item needing attention. We forget about the fanfare as a deadline is met, a chore completed or an expectation exceeded.

Find a way to celebrate your achievements today and then spread the love to the people around you by telling them how well they are doing. A heartfelt compliment on a job well done makes everyone feel good.

What are you proudest of? Maybe it’s what you do to help others. For many people, the more they give to others, the better they feel about themselves.  Make helping others a habit you are willing to indulge as often as possible. Join us in being m.a.d. (making a difference) at our charity, the m.a.d.woman foundation.

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the hashtag #gratefulinapril

Learning from the wisdom of others is a great way to keep motivated to maintain your gratitude mindset.

Whether you like good old fashioned books or the more portable digital world of the e-publication, you can inspire yourself daily with stories, autobiographies and quotes from some of the great minds past and present.

Whatever ‘speaks’ to you, make sure you keep it in easy reach and make a regular time for it.

An inspiring true story of courage might be just what you need instead of half an hour of mindless television – and will put you in a much better frame of mind! The lives of others can also give us perspective on our own life and the way we are choosing to live it. It can also give us ideas for positive change.

If quotes are your thing, then a simple Google search should afford you multiple choices (and they are often accompanied by beautiful images). Try writing them in a notebook (MEL please link to Gratitude diaries) to reinforce them and place quotes where you will see them – fridge, wallet, desk or computer desktop.

There are many quotes that speak to us. We’ll leave you with just one that still remains a great reminder of the power of gratitude.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the hashtag #gratefulinapril

When you begin to be grateful for all that you already have in your life you might look around and see how much you have.

Look how much you have. No really. What is all of that stuff?

If you have created some clutter in your surroundings, you may find that it clutters up your internal space too. If you cannot find what you want because of too much of what you do not need, then it is time to grab some boxes and declutter.

Remember that you don’t need to hold on to things that no longer serve you. Let go of broken stuff first – things that are of no use to anyone.

If fixing them is not an option, can they be recycled? Upcycled? Split items into labeled boxes so you know what to do with them.

Then what about the stuff that you simply don’t ever use? You are holding on to it just in case, right? In case of what? Pop it in a box to sell, give away to friends or donate to charity.

Having a box near the door of things that have to go is often a good way to get friends to adopt what you don’t want any more and give your stuff a new home.

If you find the process challenging, set yourself a target of the number of things you will deal with at a time.

We are so big on this, that we created a whole month of posts on how to Declutter for a Cause.

Warning: Sometimes our personal baggage is literally out on display. Getting rid of clutter can bring up your own ‘stuff’.

As you clear space, take a big breath, notice all the good things around you and be grateful for what you’ve got.

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments and photos to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the hashtag #gratefulinapril