Becoming Grateful

December 3, 2008 at 6:43 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

As I thought about this newsletter and what I was going to write, one word kept poking itself back into my consciousness.

Grateful.

It seems appropriate given that we are in the middle of the “thankful season” right between Canadian and American Thanksgiving.

An attitude of gratitude. The gratitude journal. We’ve all heard these phrases being tossed about on Oprah and Dr. Phil. But what do they mean?

How many things can you list right now that you’re grateful for?

How many things can you list that you’re feeling crabby about?

Generally, it’s easier to think of the negatives right? My shoe hurts. What am I going to make for dinner tonight? That darn family that keeps expecting to get fed dinner in the first place!

The gratitude journal is a book where you write down at least five things every day for which you’re grateful.

There are many benefits to keeping a gratitude journal. One of the biggest benefits is that it trains you to focus on the positives in your life. Often, we can miss those. When you focus on the positive, you feel better.

Five tips for keeping a gratitude journal:

Find something you like to write in. It doesn’t matter if you go out and find a pretty journal or if you just grab a writing pad. As long as it fits your needs, use it.

Find a specific time each day. It’s too easy to forget to do at first. You may want to do it first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Choose a time that works for you.

List at least five things. Feel free to list more but five is the minimum.

Be specific. Take the time to think about it. Don’t list the same items from yesterday. Rather than writing down “my family” write down what specifically about your family you’re grateful for.

For example, I’m grateful for my daughter but, yesterday morning specifically, I was grateful for the fact that I had the power to make Diva-ette laugh so suddenly she spit her milk out. When I go back and read that entry, it will trigger my memory of that moment (and I’ll probably feel grateful again).

Be consistent. Do it every day for at least two weeks. Notice how you feel after that time.

There are going to be days when it will be hard to find something to be grateful for. There is always something, though. The very fact that you’re reading this e-mail means you have the ability to read.

Some days the only thing you may find that you can be grateful for is the fact that you’re breathing. But that’s the point. You’re here. You are breathing. How fabulous is that?

Here’s an e-mail I received a while ago from Lisa B (used with permission)

Just wanted to share something with you… When I was on a plane a couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to do some reading (something that I don’t take enough time to do)…and there was an article about making a gratitude journal. I thought that was great and I immediately made a list of what I am grateful for in my life – and the list is long I am happy to say. I just feel that people tend to focus on the negative parts of things – what we don’t have or what we wish we could be…. Doing a gratitude journal makes you focus on what you do have and is very positive. I think everyone should make one, just to give us some perspective and proper focus on our lives.

The De-Cluttering Diva