I once had a school assignment from my alternative medicine class that changed my life.  Sounds dramatic, but hear me out.  Our assignment was to keep a gratitude journal for the whole semester.  We had to write down three different things each day, and they had to start with the sentence, “I’m grateful for…” We were challenged to find three unique things every day rather than just the generics.  As the semester continued and my gratitude list grew, I began to notice something.  I was less stressed, less worried, and more hopeful.  In short, I was happier! I learned an important lesson that semester: Optimism may come naturally to some people,…