What I learned From Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Are you up for the challenge? A gratitude challenge, I mean! November is the month dedicated to thanksgiving, and what better way to celebrate than to start your own gratitude journal?!
Today we are talking about gratitude.
Gratitude means, “the quality of being thankful; a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” This sounds great, right? Can you believe that gratitude can turn your emotions from negative to positive? The more you use it, the more positive you’ll become! It is a powerful tool that can be used to change your perspective on life.
I’ve kept a gratitude journal for quite some time now, and almost daily, I write down at least three things I’m thankful for. This is a great reminder to myself about the good in my life. It helps me put into perspective the trivial things I’m dealing with because, even though they seem insurmountable to me at the time, they are minor in the grand scheme of things. Gratitude helps me see that I have a great life already!
Here are some lessons I’ve learned from keeping a gratitude journal:
I have it so good! Life is good, and I am blessed.
Things could always be worse.
A positive attitude is a choice. It is a skill that can be acquired.
It’s hard to be negative when writing down gratitudes. Even if I was toxic at the time I started, by the end I’m usually more positive.
The key to true joy is gratefulness!
It helps me to focus on what is truly important in my life.
It helps me see others in a positive light.
I’m quicker to forgive the wrongs against me when I write down something positive about the person who wronged me.
It makes walking in love much easier to do.
I’ve gained clarity about what is most important in my life and about things I can and should let go of.
I hold onto less stress and worry.
My gratitude journal can serve as a mood lifter. When I’m feeling down, I can go back to it and read through all the things I’m thankful for, and my mood magically lifts.
The first time I kept a gratitude journal, I committed to 30 days.
Every day, for 30 days, not missing a single one, I wrote down three things I’m grateful for, but they were in specific categories. One gratitude was about my kids, one was about my husband, and one was about everyday life. No matter how I felt about any of those things at the time, I had to find something I was thankful for to write down.
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When I began this journey of keeping a gratitude journal, I was having a hard time seeing the blessings in my life.
Things were a little rough, and I was feeling stuck. I loved my husband, but I wasn’t liking him very much at the time. My kids were giving me such a hard time, or so I thought. Things just didn’t seem to be going right or the way I had planned. This is why I picked those specific categories to focus on for the month. Every day, no matter what my feelings said, I had to find something positive about my husband, my kids, and my life.
I was specific and intentional about them, and wouldn’t you know, at the end of the 30 days, I saw my boys and husband in a new light, and I felt happier overall. The problem wasn’t them at all. It was me and my negative perspective and lofty expectations. It was me and my negative mind, and what once bothered me so much, all the little annoyances I had, didn’t seem to really matter as much any longer. That’s the power in gratitude! It leaves less room for grumbling and negative.
Dream huge, and, remember, you are a winner. Just run YOUR race!
I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and let me know, what are you most grateful for today?
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