Why do I need a gratitude journal you may ask? At the risk of sounding like a segment on Oprah, I want to encourage you to recognize when something good or nice has happened and mark your gratitude. When life is hectic it can be tempting to get into a negative frame of mind and start ‘awfulizing’ about how dreadful everything is, that life isn’t fair, etc.
If you make daily notes about what is good, not only is it harder to work yourself into a state about how awful life is because you know you have evidence to the contrary, but it also makes you start to notice what is good so you have things to write down. I know that sounds awfully simplistic, but give it a try and see what happens!
The overall task is very simple! At the same time each day, probably either just before bed or first thing in the morning, make a note of things that you are grateful for. It seems customary to pick an odd number to record each day, 5, 7 or 9 different things, but you can make up your own rules!
Some people I have spoken to found that they got into a rut and listed the same 5 things every day, then realized that they had to find five different things every day in order to engage themselves in the process. I try not to be repetitive and to find things that actually have happened or which are happening as I write. I love sunny days with blue skies, so allow myself to bask in the pleasure and gratitude of opening the curtains to that instead of clouds or rain. If I lived somewhere where blue skies were a constant, then this would no longer be a valid thing to be grateful for.
I also have a personal rule that the thing I am grateful for cannot a negative. For example, I can’t be grateful that I didn’t forget where I parked in the mall lot, however I can be grateful that I noticed where I had parked and successfully found my car again. In my mind, being grateful for a success creates more positive energy than avoiding a failure, you however can create whatever rules you want!
According to popular theories you draw to you what you spend most time thinking about, so suspect that the concept of a gratitude journal arose from this. For me it is simpler – we tend to find what we anticipate we will find! In this model if I spend time wishing something doesn’t happen it almost always does happen, the ‘doesn’t’ seems gets lost along the way. If however I am actively looking out for examples of kindness or thoughtfulness, I am more likely to see them. Please read my blog post for more on my philosophy about gratitude.
