When Ann Voskamp wrote her book, One Thousand Gifts, she obviously awakened a place we’ve needed to get back to. A place where we can “live fully right where we are.”

As part of the human {rat}race, we are always “movin’ on up” as George Jefferson would say. We are constantly trying to be better—richer, thinner, more talented, etc. We search for blessings in our future as things we must earn. If we spend out entire lives striving to be more, when do we ever reach enough? When can we stop and see what blessing God has for us in the here and now?

My daddy used to love to say, “Live like you will die tomorrow, but plan like you will live forever.” He said it, but honestly, I believe he did a bit more planning than living. But he lived exactly the way he wanted to, and died with no regrets. He planned for the future financially, but he didn’t put all of his blessings on a shelf to be enjoyed at a later date “when there was more time,” or “when we could afford it.”

James 1:17 tells us whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father. We have so many things around us to enjoy and be thankful for.

Today was an especially busy day for me, and I admit to being frustrated about one thing or another most of the day. And I regret it. Getting caught up in the chaos is such a habit for us, it happens before we realize it. We must learn to intentionally slow down, take a deep breath, and look around us at the things we can be thankful for. (You can tweet that here if you’d like )

Okay, here I go with my post-it notes again…

Try putting little post-it notes scattered throughout your house and car, and every time you see one stop, take a deep breath, and say a little prayer of thanks for something or someone around you. I’ll be doing this myself so I don’t have more days like today! If you can use the post-it notes for 21 days—and actually say a prayer or thanks every time you see one—it should be a habit by the time your 21 days is complete.

If you haven’t read One Thousand Gifts, it’s a must. The way we process thoughts is partially a habit. This is one way to change your thinking that can actually change your world.