Keep a Gratitude Journal
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By Karen Mead
I began to keep a gratitude journal several years ago - Oprah said I should. And she, as she often is, was right. In my own life, it seemed to be more automatic to go to the problem, work on a solution, - to just do something. But taking time to just watch my life with no goal in sight was a new concept. I was visiting a foreign country. Since I was now retired and no longer had the excuse that I just didn't have the time. Plus I wanted to savor my new life, paying attention to what now filled my days.
So I went for it with my usual gusto. At first, it felt fake. Of course I was grateful for my family, my life, my friends, etc., etc., etc. I kept my promise to myself to try it for thirty days. I had read somewhere that after 30 days something becomes a habit (like needing cookies and a mug of coffee at 3 PM?). Each night I would think back on the day and try to find things that had not been on my list yesterday and the day before to put in the gratitude journal.
For a couple of weeks, I can't say I loved it, but I was committed. Then very slowly, I started noticing a small change. During the day, something would pop out at me and I would say, "This could go in my gratitude journal!" Maybe it was no traffic on the 405; maybe it was the hummingbirds splashing in my water fountain, perhaps it was that my grandchild called on the phone. But my awareness began to grow - I had dashed right past so much that nourished my life in my quest to finish everything on my list of "to do's". Now appreciating my life and living with gratitude had become my favorite "to do".
Several years later, I still keep a gratitude journal - although now it's living in my computer. Sometimes I miss a few days, but the intent is there. And the real reward is always there, I am more conscious of rosebuds and short grocery lines, of a great avocado, and of the smile of a stranger as I hike up our hill. Acknowledging gratitude is a wonderful way to see it increase in our lives.
So if you have started and stopped - you are not alone! But I would encourage you to keep a gratitude journal and stick it out for 30 days and see the happiness that is right in front of you. Maybe it is a cookie at 3 PM!
Karen Mead is the creator of Plum Journals - a homegrown endeavor based in sunny Southern California. We create a variety of 100-page e-journals (just like an e-book); from serene designs to exciting diaries, inspirational looks and blank diaries for the computer desktop user.
For those who love both journaling -and the planet- Plum Journals™ is the perfect way to go green as well as write and write and write....
www.PlumJournals.com
Karen@PlumJournals.com
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