You’ve probably heard by now that a gratitude practice is life-changing – so why isn’t everyone benefiting from it?

I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve told me they’ve bought a gratitude journal with the best of intentions, only to abandon it shortly afterwards.

In fact, the gap between wanting to be more grateful and actually practising daily gratitude is so common, it deserves a name: The Gratitude Gap. It’s that space between knowing that gratitude could change your life…and not quite managing to make it happen.

And yet, study after study confirms that a consistent gratitude practice can transform your mindset, reduce stress levels and even improve your physical health. Writing in a gratitude journal is something that I practise myself every day and it’s the foundation of my emotional health. It’s as much a part of my self-care as brushing my teeth and I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world.

What gratitude can do for you

Here’s what the science says daily gratitude can do:

• Boost happiness levels by up to 25%
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve sleep quality
• Strengthen your immune system
• Increase emotional resilience
• Enhance self-worth and optimism
• And much, much more.

Gratitude literally changes the wiring in your brain. It allows you to see the world through a lens of positivity and abundance rather than one of stress, fear and scarcity. And the best part? It’s accessible to all of us.
So how can you finally make gratitude a part of your life in a way that feels natural, doable, and joyful?

The real reason gratitude journals end up being resold on eBay

Many people tell me they’ve “failed” at gratitude simply because they didn’t have the support or structure to make it stick. That’s The Gratitude Gap.

Here’s what happens. People hear about the benefits of a gratitude journal and head to Amazon to buy one. Maybe they fill in the first page. Maybe the second. Sooner or later, they miss a day. And they think: “I can’t think of anything to write because it’s been a rubbish day” or “I can’t be bothered” or “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “what’s the point?”. And then that lovely-looking journal gets re-sold on eBay or sits forgotten about in a drawer, collecting dust rather than happy memories. And then the frustration sets in because they’ve wasted their money and they feel like they’ve failed yet again.

But here’s the thing: buying a journal isn’t the same as building a habit. The problem isn’t you. It’s the missing step between intention and implementation.

From overwhelmed to abundant: how to close the gap

The good news is that building a gratitude habit doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming.

After more than 15 years of keeping my own daily gratitude practice (through bereavements, family dramas and all the big stuff life throws at us), I’ve seen first-hand how transformative it can be. And I’ve also seen what gets in the way for so many people.

That’s why I’ve created Stressed to Blessed – a proven, 5-day kickstart to help you go from good intentions to a lasting habit. Through my bite-sized videos, I gently guide you to adopt a short, powerful gratitude practice. You’ll also get a downloadable template, so you don’t even need to own a journal to get started. And you can access it all today from the convenience of an app on your phone. No perfectionism. No procrastination. No overwhelm. Just an easy-to-follow, no-fluff guide to making this a habit.

Gratitude really is the gift that keeps on giving. I hope you’ll join me in giving yourself this gift. You can find all the details on Stressed To Blessed and sign up here.