Creating a Gratitude Journal
Each month as part of our practice of living a Spa Lifestyle, we look for ways to open our minds to new ideas and challenge ourselves. While gratitude is not a new idea, “practicing gratitude” may be for some of us. We invite you to join us in the Glen Ivy November Challenge, and it’s easy to get started with a gratitude journal.
What do you put in the journal? Each day, write down five things you are grateful for. You might start with obvious things like: your job, your health, your family, friends, being alive, shelter, food. Now it may be a little trickier as it’s often the everyday subtleties that we may be taking for granted. Looking for and seeing the good in every situation creates a shift in thinking to the positive, and a chance to learn from mistakes, see the good in everything, even obstacles or misfortune.
Getting Started
All you need is a journal you use to capture gratitude. It can be smart and stylish or as plain and simple as you want it to be. You can use a notebook, your daytimer, some white paper or a diary.
Now you will write 5 things that you are grateful for each day. The only 2 rules with the gratitude journal are:
- Your journal entries must all be positive.
- You can only list something you’re grateful for once – no repeating entries.
The idea is that by looking for things that you are grateful for each day, you automatically start seeing the positive side of everything. You also begin to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t.
It is important to try to not to write the same 5 things each day, every entry should be unique. Your entries don’t have to be big earth shattering revelations, it is often the small things that define our days and relationships. You should journal what matters to you and what you are grateful for. This is a very personal venture.
Tips for a Successful Challenge
1. Commit. Leave a comment here or on Facebook letting us and your friends know you are going to give it a try, and you will be more likely to follow through. Also, LIKE Glen Ivy on Facebook and we will be giving suggestions each week on how to identify and connect with what we are grateful for.
2. Get a journal. You can choose something that you will look forward to writing in, the convenience of your daytimer, or even a simple stack of note paper. A good pen is also part of this equation.
3. Choose a place and time. It will be easier to stay on track if you write in your journal each day at the same place and time, whether with your morning coffee or just before you drift off to sleep each night. Keep your journal nearby to remind you.
We really want to hear how it is going, and hope you will share your discoveries along the way. We also welcome you to post what you are grateful to our Facebook wall and let your gratitude be inspiration to others to do the same.
Thank you from your friends at Glen Ivy.
Great idea! I am going to join you on this positive journey of being grateful!
Graditude is all about our atitude. When I make the conscious effort to hang out with Graditude, it opens door to many of her ‘friends’ like Joy and Contientment. Before I know it my whole room is full. Hey……………let’s have a Party!!
I found an empty journal in my garage today and started my entries. Grateful for the cool, rainy day that made if feel like autumn. I have often read that this is a good practice. Thanks for getting me started.
I’m going to give it try. I hope others will too!
I’m definitely going to join in and even have my 9 year old do this as well. Great idea!
This is a very great way to focus more on the positive things in life. When we look around at what we have and those precious moments that we share, we have so much to be thankkful and grateful for.