What’s joy and how do we find it amidst the inevitable grayness of our working days screaming of routine and everyday burdens?

I have a relatively recent habit: the practice of gratitude. I gather myself around my morning tea and muse about all the things, small and big, that I feel grateful for right in that moment. I try to put at least 10 things together on a new page of one of my many beloved diaries. It started off somewhat forceful, left an awkward lovey-dovey stain on the paper, but I just decided to ignore the virtual sugar icing covering my newly acquired effort of feeling joyful about stuff I normally would take for granted. Ever since then every half hour I spend quietly with my thoughts, numbering all the good things in my life generates unbelievable peace and happiness in my heart. The purity and innocence of these times creates a fresh new start in my life on every occasion. Whatever happened the day or the minute before, 30 minutes of active gratitude reassures me without fail that the universe is by default kind and gracious. I start my days like these are going to be the best 24 hours ever full of promises and surprises.

Can you even imagine this feeling? Can you feel the weight of the fact that for only 30 minutes a day you can get such an overwhelming rush of joy?

The easiest way of creating joy in our lives is by practicing gratitude.

Practicing and actively manifesting gratitude changes the default setting of our lives’ joy-meter. This is the 1st and best advice I can possible come up with. How, you say? You have no time, you are running around in your life, your life is running around you, especially mornings, come on. Yes, I do forget, too. Sometimes for days, weeks. Life rushes by, mornings flow out of my hands and disappear between my fingers like pure ivory pearls. What then? Nothing. Mornings missed are past tense. I take a step forward and begin again, on a new morning, or a new afternoon, because I want to. Any time is just perfect for beginning a new habit again and again until it becomes solid.

Happiness is synthetic: you either create it, or you don’t! (Travis Bradberry)

Trust yourself, that half hour exists, find it, get ready, do it, and start loving your life.

My list from today:

• I am grateful for the quiet surrounding me today.
• I am grateful I can finally use up the Austrian punsch I purchased years ago to cure my flu.
• I am grateful there weren’t that massive crowds at the grocery store today after all.
• I am grateful I only got the flu, and nothing more serious.
• I am grateful for all the parties and gatherings with my friends this week.
• I am grateful for my tribe mates for the constant on-going mutual support we give to each other.
• I am grateful I have a car and so I didn’t have to walk to the post office today.
• I am grateful I got that beautiful new chair delivered today.
• I am grateful it was fairly easy to put it together.
• I am grateful that my mom cooks for me whenever I need her to.
• I am grateful I met my wonderful new potential co-lead, Kriszta.
• I am grateful I speak English.
• I am grateful for the cutest tiny little Christmas tree.
• I am grateful that my super loud neighbors at least have no music on today.

For more tips on how to create a happy, joyful life read Travis Bradberry’s great article in Forbes Magazine here.