The Gratitude File - How to use a Gratitude Journal
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.“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie.
The wonderful benefits of maintaining a grateful attitude have already been discussed in the article The Gratitude Files - The Importance of Being Grateful. Now that we know that being grateful is good for our mind, our body and our soul, how do we go about developing into grateful person? This can seem challenging, particularly if you have spent most of your life focusing on the negatives and the problems. The fact is that the more of your time you spend complaining and griping and whining and wishing for something other than what you have, the more you will benefit from learning to be grateful and appreciative of what you do have.
There are two techniques which can help you incorporate a grateful attitude into your life – the Gratitude Journal and the Gratitude Letter. In this article we will discuss the Gratitude Journal.
The Gratitude Journal
The gratitude journal is a simple little book where everyday you write down at least five things that you are genuinely grateful. You may choose to do this in the morning to give you a boost on the day or at night when you are reflecting on the day gone by. But I strongly advise that you do it the same time every day and before, after or during some other already established routine. You might do it on the bus or the subway on the way to or from work. You may do it during breakfast or lunch, or right after dinner or right before bed. But be sure to do it at the same time every day. Associating a new activity with an already established routine will ensure that it soon becomes a habit, as every time you are ready to do that routine you will remember the new activity.
What to write in your Gratitude Journal
So now you know when to update your gratitude journal. But what do you write in it? Well, the five things you are most grateful for, of course. However, in order to reap the benefits of being grateful you must give it some serious thought. An entry such as “I am grateful for my family†will not do you much good. You must meditate on this and detail exactly what it is about your family you are grateful. Are you grateful that they are there whenever you need someone to listen to your woes? Are you grateful that they are there to help you out financially or with baby-sitting or with advice? How exactly do they help you out? Be as specific as you can. Take the time to really reflect on it and identify what are the benefits of the specific gratitude item and what are the pleasures and pluses you gain from it. In other words, why exactly are you grateful for it?
Be specific – a gratitude entry example
To take another example, saying that you are grateful for you health is another popular cliché. But why are you grateful for your health? Take a moment and think about that. You probably came up with reasons such as: when you are free from pain and illness you are free to really enjoy all the other activities in your life. Remember the last time you had a sickness? It might have prevented you from attending your son’s soccer game or a party or a play. You might have had to go to work feeling miserable and grumpy. Be grateful that you are healthy now so that you can enjoy life without the fog of pain.
I once asked a little girl what she was grateful for and after some thought she responded that she was grateful for her legs. When I inquired why, she gave me a look as if to suggest that I was daft, and informed me that without her legs she could not run and jump and play and life would be very different so she was very happy for her legs. And she skipped off to join her friends.
I have spent so much time explaining this concept because many people attempt a gratitude journal and soon become frustrated because they don’t give their entries sufficient thought.
Be grateful for the simple and small
It is also important to be grateful and appreciative of the little things in life. Perhaps you are just happy that the sun shone because you had alot of walking around to do. Or perhaps you are grateful that you got your favourite doughnut at the bakery. Or that your bus was on time. Or that the chairman smiled at you and remembered your name. Or maybe your favourite LieslNet article came up quickly {smile}. It is the little things that make up your life. So please remember to be grateful for all the little things that happened that made your day smoother or made you smile.
Take the time to be grateful
In order to allow this habit to truly help you become a grateful person who is appreciative of all the good things in your life, you must take time with this activity. Don’t see it as a chore that you try to rush through as fast as possible. Schedule a fifteen or twenty minutes just for this – the more time you schedule for it the sooner you will begin to truly enjoy the life you have now while working towards your goals.
And try to avoid flippantly repeating what you wrote the day before. Even if the entry is similar, such as that you are grateful for your family, then think about something new and different that you are grateful for your family for. Did your son give you a hug this morning that really lit up your day? Was your sister there for you last night when you needed some advice? Was your hubby there for you when your car would not start and you needed a lift to work? Imagine if these people had not been in your life how much more difficult those situations would have been and how much pleasure you would have missed out on. So be specific and be fresh.
In the next article of the Gratitude Files, I will explain exactly how the Gratitude Journal works. Try this journal for a week and see how you feel. Then write and let me know.
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ~ Brian Tracy.
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Related Articles:
- The Gratitude Files - The Importance of Being Grateful
- How to Stop Worrying and Be Relaxed – An Experiment
- Slow down, stop rushing and enjoy your life
- How to become an Optimist - Part I
- How to be Happy - Training yourself to enjoy life
- The Power of Realistic Positive Thinking
- Your Capacity for Change
- Optimism vs. Pessimism
- Coping with Stress - Part I
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May 8th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Hi was just wondering if you would have any detailed information on what does it mean to be greatful? I have a university essay on that question due Monday. Thankyou Allan Robetson.