“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Gratitude truly is at the core of everything Oprah Winfrey does. And I am not just referring to her world famous “Favourite Things” episodes (but damn, how utterly and unbelievably exciting must it have been to be in the audience of one of those tapings?!) or the time she notably announced “you get a CAR, you get A CAR, YOU GET A CAR” but more so it is the simple lesson of acknowledging to the universe your simple, but heartfelt appreciation for what you have, over lamenting to it what you do not.

For me, it was her teachings of the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal that helped me realise I have so much more to be thankful for in my life than I otherwise would have realised. It makes you be mindful throughout the day – taking note of the things you’ll include when you scrawl your day’s tidings. It also brings with it an awareness that some things, no matter how seemingly small or irrelevant, can also be things we should be giving thanks for.

And I can tell you, it has made all the difference in the world to me.