How do you do a Gratitude Diet, anyway? It's easy ...

1. Simply choose a set number of times a day that you will focus on what you have, on what you appreciate in your life. Choose 10. 2 & 4, like the famous Dr. Pepper ad. Or you can choose to write 10 things you're grateful for at the end of the day. Or whatever works for you. The timing doesn't matter in the least - the point is to focus on gratitude as frequently and often as possible.

2. During the day when you get grumpy, irritated, mad at the kids or your significant other, cursing in traffic or whatever, just take a 'gratitude break'. Gently pull your attention away from your grievance and remember one of your many blessings. Can't do it you say? Sure you can and here's an example:

My ex husband was a semi-finalist in 'The Most Unahppy Man In The World' contest. Well, OK, there's no such thing but he was a champion at insisting that he could only be happy when his life was absolutely perfect. No problems, everything exactly the way he wanted it. [That happened to me once. It was 4:31 PM in June of 1999. Didn't last out the afternoon, though.}. One day he was complaining about having to go to the grocery store to pick up an overlooked item and I tartly reminded him that Christopher Reeves would love to get in the car and drive to the grocery store!

I received a sour look in reply, but my observation made a big impression on me. There's always something to be grateful for, in the very worst of situations. Victor Frankl found joy in a German concentration camp. Alexander Solzhenitsyn's famous One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is about a prisoner in a Soviet gulag who has cause for gratitude in a freezing prison camp. If they can find a reason for gratitutde in the most extreme conditions on earth, how can we do less?

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

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'If the only prayer you ever said was 'Thank You', that would be enough'

Meister Eckhart

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'Appreciate anything - even if it seems silly. Look around you for something to appreciate. Look at a lamp and appreciate Thomas Edison. Look at the carpet and be glad it's not cement. Look at a chair and be happy you don't have to sit on the floor all the time. Appreciate yourself for trying to appreciate. Anything can be appreciated.'

Doc Lew Childre

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'Being grateful. That's the first step to the path of Joy.'

Sarah Ban Breathnach

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'The Word 'appreciation' means to be thankful and express admiration, approval or gratitude. It also means to grow or appreciate in value. As you appreciate life, you become more valuable - both to yourself and others.'

Sara Paddison