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I don't mean to brag, but I am really super good at focusing on the negative. The other night, for example, the baby was up howling in the middle of the night, and my brain's response was: He is never going to sleep tonight. Or ever. He's going to be a life-long insomniac because I'll never be able to sleep-train him because I am a wuss. Also he'll wake up his sister by crying. Because our apartment's too small. And we'll never find a bigger one. And New York is stupid. And so is the world. I believe the psychiatric term for this is "snowballing." And it is not a helpful way to approach problems, an insight I have discovered all on my own.

When I awoke in the morning—hey, what do you know, we all slept after all—I knew I needed what my sassy 6th-grade algebra teacher Mrs. Viska used to call an Attitude Adjustment. And then I turned on my computer and there it was: a call to action. The blogger Teacher Goes Back to School had written about how her local yoga studio posted to its Facebook page the following message: "For the month of November, we’re launching an Attitude of Gratitude campaign. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, you’re invited to dedicate one Facebook update per week to write what you’re thankful for." Awesomely, Teacher misread the post and started coming up with something she was thankful for every single day instead. A glut of gratitude!

So far, the yogis are thankful for "the beautiful ginkgo trees in front of the studio whose butterfly leaves will turn their signature golden yellow in just a couple of weeks." The blogger is thankful for "sleeping baby and the quiet time before she wakes up." (Wow, can I relate.) Personally, the first thing I'm thankful for is finding this post, encouraging each of us to embark on a month-long mission of gratefulness. And the second thing I'm thankful for is this big, steaming cup of coffee.

What are you thankful for today? This week? This month? What what it do to your life if you made a point to remember all you have to be grateful for? Join the Attitude of Gratitude campaign, or tell us in the comments!

Read more:
A weekly list of things we're grateful for
How "thank you power" can change your life