Yup, it’s that time of year when columnists, bloggers and media in all forms capitalise on the season, pulling out their “Attitude of Gratitude” pieces in light of tomorrow’s Thanksgiving celebrations.

Every year, for about a week, we will read about all the benefits of being grateful.

We will be reminded of numerous studies showing that gratitude practised regularly can lead to greater happiness, improved relationships, increased physical and mental wellbeing and ever better sleep.

Posts and articles will reiterate ways of introducing more gratitude into our lives. Simple steps we can take such as:

• The power of keeping a gratitude journal — jotting down several small things each day that you are grateful for;

• Starting your day simply bringing to mind all the important people in your life and your appreciation for them;

• Taking time to say “thank you” in person to colleagues, friends, family, even strangers who offer small kindnesses, for their presence and participation in your day;

• Noting all the things we are so fortunate for as we enjoy them, right down to the fresh water we drink and roof over our heads that many tragically lack, and feeling gratitude for these amenities and privileges.

The Thanksgiving coverage may also include fun and bonding ways of sharing a gratitude practice with others.

For example, at your next get- together, whether celebrating US Thanksgiving or not, take turns to relay something you are grateful for with fellow partygoers.

Or make it a game where everybody writes down three small things they truly appreciate, mix them all together, then have everyone try to guess who authored each one.

Of course, you’re not going to hear any of that stuff from me. I’m not going to jump on that covered (band) wagon and write about the importance of gratitude just because it dovetails nicely with a calendar event, am I?

OK, maybe a little. But only because today is as appropriate as any, to recognise that truth. Gratitude is a stepping stone to happiness. It is a pathway to personal (and interpersonal) peace as we each recognise that we have and are enough, freeing us from fear and selfishness.

It is the key to putting problems into perspective by reframing our obstacles as learning opportunities.

Its benefits are not for one day, but for every day. This past weekend, watching an old Ted talk from 2011 by Louie Schwartzberg, I glimpsed — at soul level — the transformative effects that gratitude enables. I was particularly moved by the inspiring words of Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast:

“You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day, it’s the one day that is given to you today … and the only appropriate response is gratefulness. If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response to the great gift that this unique day is, if you learn to respond as if it is the first day of your life and the very last day, then you will have spent this day very well.”

I invite you to take the ten minutes to watch it (www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude) and remind yourself how simple gratitude can make not just tomorrow but every day, “a really good day”.

•Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.