The holiday season is upon us and I am reminded to be of good cheer. Just a couple days after Thanksgiving, where we acknowledged all the things for which we are grateful, one of the most stressful times for many people comes upon us. But how do we remain in good cheer when shopping for the perfect gifts for our loved ones, baking for the holidays, preparing yummy meals and attending parties with friends and family?

The answer is simple: practice gratitude. This may be easier said than done for some people, but with some effort practicing gratitude can help us find joy in what can, for some people, be the most stressful season of the year.

Every morning or evening before you go to bed, write down three to five things for which you are grateful. I recently started jotting down on a slip of paper something for which I am grateful for each morning and placing the paper in a box so that at the end of the year, I can take out all the pieces of paper and see all the wonderful things that happened to me. Some people use a gratitude journal or diary to note the things for which they are grateful. These things do not have to be big things; they can be little things, like the delicious cup of coffee you had in the morning or a conversation with a cherished person during the day.

Gratitude is the birthplace of joy. People who are grateful for all life bestows on them—both the good and the bad—are happier than those who lament their conditions and what life throws at them. Certainly, it is easy to be grateful for the good things we experience every day. It is harder to appreciate and be thankful for the bad things that happen, but perhaps instead of looking at those things as nuisances maybe we can look at them as lessons for which we can be grateful.

People say that the holiday season is the most joyous of the year and it can be if we remember to be grateful for all life brings us. Every day brings opportunities for growth and happiness. Joy starts from within, from looking for the good in all that happens to us throughout the day. May this be the season of gratitude.

I often hear people complaining about their jobs, their spouses or significant others, their commutes to and from work and other things that life brings them. What I do not often hear are solutions.

Complaining about things is normal, but at what point does it become pathological and set you up to be a victim of your life? Complaining goes hand-in-hand with anger and we have talked about that. Why hold on to all that anger? What purpose does it serve? What is beneath that anger? Shame? Guilt? Hurt?

Complaining about your life sets you up to be a victim of your life and your choices. If you own your choices, it is easier to find solutions to your problems rather than simply complain about the things that happen to you throughout the day.

I have people in my life who complain about their jobs, their commute to their jobs and the people they work with. I encourage those people to stop for a moment and be thankful that, in this recovering economy, they have a job to go to every day. I have people in my life who complain about their spouses or significant others. Perhaps instead of complaining about that person, sit down and have a meaningful conversation with that person and tell them how you are feeling about his or her behaviors.

People who constantly complain invite negativity into their lives and surround themselves with misery. It is easy to complain about various aspects of one’s life. It takes far more energy and creativity to come up with solutions. What can you to do today to find answers to the problems in your life? What can you do today to make your own situation better?