Joanna Gaines is up there on my list of role models, and her hubbie Chip Gaines isn’t too far behind. Needless to say I’m obsessed with The Magnolia Journal! Their Fall 2017 issue focuses on gratitude, and I haven’t stopped thinking about this idea of being thankful since I picked up the magazine a month ago. One of the things I appreciate most about this magazine is how it talks about a word that peaks one day during the year, you know what I’m talking about: Thanksgiving. Getting a little off topic, I’m not a huge fan of Thanksgiving, there’s all this hype surrounding food I don’t like and there’s too much stress about travel. Of course I love spending time with my family, but I wish the sentiment was a little more than just surface level.

Why should we just be grateful one day a year? Joanna and Chip shine a spotlight on an idea that deserves more than a fancy dinner. Finally! Thinking about gratitude got me thinking more about how being aware of how grateful I am allows me to be more generous. There’s definitely a correlation there!So on my commute in and out of NYC each day I try to remind myself of one or two things I should be thankful for, like having a well-paying job straight out of college (or a job at all for that matter!). I make sure to remind myself to be grateful for the small things too, like an empty aisle seat on the train.

Being mindful of this gratitude makes being generous so much easier! I always tip 20%, giving an extra couple dollars isn’t a lot in the scheme of things for me, but getting a nice tip makes a huge difference to the person receiving it. I finally found the most amazing lady to do my gel nails, I was so grateful that she took the time and effort to make sure they were perfect so I basically doubled my nail salon bill to thank her.

In spirit of this post, thank you to Chip and Joanna Gaines and the Magnolia Journal team for reminding its readers to be grateful for all things, big and small. Let’s remember to couple gratitude and generosity, a little goes a long way! But why stop at a little? What are your thoughts on generosity? Do you subscribe to The Magnolia Journal too?

Check out The Magnolia Journal here.

Let me know what you think!