Gratitude. Joy. Happiness. Wonder. Excitement.

It's so hard to focus on these things as an entrepreneur. There are always a million things out there, telling us that what we have isn't good enough.

Telling us to want more. Telling us that “they” have it better.

Who is “they”? You might ask, but then you are shooed away and told to want what “they” have anyway.

Instead of being grateful for all the things you have been blessed with, you are taught to crave what others have.

Today, I am here to tell you that gratitude is what you should be inviting into your business. You should share things you are thankful for, and share them at the top of your lungs.

10 Things I Am Grateful For

Here are ten things I am grateful for right now:

1. My family.
2. The fact that I have a platform to express myself.
3. My career which allows me to do something that brings me happiness.
4. That I have a bed I can sleep in each night.
5. My bills spreadsheet which allows me to know all the money coming out of my account and when.
6. Having my favorite ice cream flavor in the freezer right now.
7. The fact that I can afford to invest in myself every once and a while.
8. The fantastic dress that my mom bought me from Forever21 recently.
9. That there are so many meme accounts out now that I never get bored of looking at them.
10. This series that I started to inspire other entrepreneurs and business owners.

There are SO many things that you can be grateful for too! I encourage you to leave a few things that you are thankful for in the comments below, and don't focus on the big stuff. Get in the nitty gritty of it all.

You Don't Have To Sip Champagne To Be Proud

It may seem like everyone and their momma is only proud of you when you are driving around in a Rolls Royce and sipping champagne in Paris. You may never get to that level of success, though. Some people who have the money don't even do or want to do that.

You have to learn to enjoy success in the way it comes to you. Some people have sipping champagne in Paris success, and some people have “being able to pay all their bills on time” success. Hell, your version of success may be “following your dreams” success. Whatever success you have, it's just as important as other people's success.

Be Grateful

Going to get woo-woo here for a second, but the universe appreciates when you appreciate what you have. You can't expect the universe to bend over backward for you when you can't enjoy all the things it's doing for you.

I was watching a Facebook Live from Sarah of Mindful Productivity Blog the other day. She said she saw a cool lamp in the background of someone else's video that she loved. She said to herself, “Man, I'd like to find one of those lamps one day.” Low and behold, when she was out one afternoon, a similar lamp showed up at a store she was shopping at. Instead of seeing that as a coincidence, she saw that at the universe acknowledging what she wanted, and giving it to her.

We have to stop this notion that God (or the universe, or whatever you believe) isn't blessing us. The idea that these small things in our lives aren't signs of tiny miracles happening to us. Our life is a miracle.

You have got to learn to enjoy the small things as much as you enjoy the big things.

Manic Monday Podcast

This week on the Manic Monday Podcast, we are chatting about why you should be grateful for the small things and all the ways that you are rich (even if you aren't “financially” rich.)