A Gratitude Journal
In the past, I have discussed why I think keeping a Gratitude Journal is an awesome thing to do. And, it is time to talk about it once again! After all, when something works well, you want to tell people about it! Best part about it is that it fits ANY budget! You can start off not costing anything!
I have been keeping a gratitude journal for some time now. Even though it has been in different forms, I have found that I feel empty when I am not using one. Have you ever kept one? While I am asking questions, do you know what one is?
What is a Gratitude Journal?
Anything can pretty much be a gratitude journal – an old notebook, a loose-leaf folder, a dedicated journal notebook, an electronic document, or even a collection of scraps of papers! There is no right answer to that it physically is – whatever works best for you and your lifestyle is what you should use.
Now that you have an idea on what it is physically, let me tell you what it REALLY is. A gratitude journal will become one of your most treasured items you possess! Within your journal, you will be writing down all the things for which you are grateful.
Your journaling can be something that is structured, such as writing down all the things for which you are grateful that occurred in the day; this writing can be the last thing you do before going to sleep. Or, as something comes into your mind, you can simply write it down. You can take time to write down as many things as you think at one sitting, or simply as they come into your thoughts. Your Gratitude Journal should always be readily accessible so when the inspiration hits you, you have the ability to capture the thought!
As you interact during the day, think about what you can journal about – this will often put you in a more gratitude-filled mood. When you are searching for gratitude, you will easily find it. When you spot something, write it down. You can date each entry or just keep it free flowing. If you want to personalize it, you can include pictures you have taken to help immortalize the moment.
If you ever feel like you have had a miserable day and nothing seems to be going your way, simply open up your Gratitude Journal and start to read what you have written. After reading a few things, your mood and spirit will shift 180 degrees and help put you back into having an Attitude of Gratitude.
If you are skeptical about doing this, try it out for 21 days. Start with a notebook and date each page, starting with today. Commit to writing something for each day. After 21 days, look to see how you are feeling. You will see that by just journaling each day, you will feel like a new person.
Resources:
• Things I have used for my Gratitude Journal:
• Simple spiral notebook
• Loose-leaf binder
• A nice leather binder with exchangeable filler pages (currently in use)
• I have created a document using Google Docs (http://www.google.com/docs) – this was accessible to me no matter where I am (as long as I have an internet connection)\
• There is an iPhone app – Gratitude Journal
• For my Mac Desktop, I have used Journler (http://journler.com/)
Be Well.
Paul.
Sign up for the Gratitude Quote of the Day at:
www.AllAboutGratitude.com
Try An Hour of Power for Gratitude
I was reflecting, feeling the gratitude and I was just about to wind down and do some reading before I called it a day. I was connecting with a few folks on FaceBook tonight and saw a post from a friend. She posted:
“Anyone interested in joining me in committing to and being accountable for dedicating an hour of power every day for 10 days to your life? What is an hour of power? Whatever blend of meditation, reading and exercise that you fit into an hour time-frame before starting your day. My mentor, Jack Canfield recommends 20 min. of each. Anyone game?”
I met Jack a few years ago (there is a picture of him and I posted on FaceBook); I remember him talking about the Hour of Power. I kept it up for a while – it was great! Personally, I have difficulty getting all 3 done BEFORE my day starts, but I manage to get them in most of the time. But starting Wednesday, I will be re-committed to give it a shot!
Feel free to leave some comments on your progress or just your thoughts about this!
Anyone else game?
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
Are You Grateful For All The Beauty Around You?
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
Gratitude For a Great Valentine’s Day Quote
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
I think that this quote by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer is applicable on a day like today! In fact, it is applicable everyday!
“Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.”
What is your definition of Love? Share your idea by leaving a comment below!
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
You Can Always Be Happy
At work the other day, I was talking about this my gratitude website and how I was preparing for the latest post. After speakings about it for a couple minutes, a co-worker looked at me and said something that caught me off guard.
You see, I was really surprised at the response I received from him. ” I wish I was like you, but I really do not have much gratitude for anything. I’m feeling sick. I hate my job. I owe a lot of money and creditors are calling me. My girlfriend moved out. I gotta tell you… My life is the pits. What do I possibly have to be grateful for?”
My first thought was, “Wow – keep focusing on the negativity and you will just get more of it! It is a vicious cycle!” Regardless of how bad you think you have it, you can still be full of gratitude! That is right, FULL of gratitude!
One of my favorite Gratitude quotes by Buddha
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”
(this is also my friend, Marie’s, favorite quotes as well!)
If you are stuck and cannot think of anything to list in your Gratitude Journal, start with the small things in your life. These are really what matter and will continue along with you. When someone can appreciate and show their gratitude for the “unnoticeable things” you will see the abundance you actually do have in your life. For starters:
What is the weather like by you? Is it sunny? Do you enjoy the sunshine? Do you smile when you feel the morning sunshine fall across your face and warm it up? Is it raining? Are you happy that you do not have to set up the sprinkler system to water the grass? Do you like the way the rain cleans the air and makes everything smell fresh? Even if the “weather is not cooperating with your plans” you can still find a lot in which to be grateful! Do you have shelter? Do you own your own home? Are you renting? Are you homeless and staying at a local shelter? You can be grateful for any of these. Do you have a car? Is it running? Is it a clunker? Does it get you from Point A to Point B? Is it better than having to walk? Can you save time using it? No car? How do you get from place to place? Public transportation? Do you enjoy the fact that you have someone else driving you around? Are you walking? Do you enjoy the fact that you are getting some exercise as you go to you destination? You can express your gratitude for a variety of options that may be available to you! Are you reading this? Can you see? Do you have your vision? Is this being read via a Text-To-Speech machine? Do you have glasses? Again, here is a lot for which you can express your gratitude.
You see, even if you are unhappy, you can still be grateful for many, many, many things in your life. If you start to appreciate all of these things, you will not be focusing on the negativity and all the bad things which you see.
I have written about a gratitude journal in prior posts. I highly suggest that you take this opportunity to start one if you do not have one. Try it for a week. List out those things for which you are grateful and I am sure that you will feel much better at the end a week then you do now.
As always, your comments are welcomed. Please let me know what you think about having this sort of gratitude mindset.
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
