Gratitude

About 2 years ago I did a gratitude challenge on Facebook (Laurie Goes to Africa on FB). I was pushing myself to spend 30 days listing 3 things that I’m grateful for in the morning and 3 things that I’m grateful for at night. I was hoping it was going to TRANSFORM MY LIFE.

“They” say that gratitude is the secret to a great life. I was hoping that the exercise would snap me into “happy, magic land” at a time when I felt a bit unsatisfied/stressed in general.

Well, it wasn’t so magical actually, and although it’s great to think about what we’re grateful for, I felt about the same 30 days later.

Since, I’ve learned a better gratitude exercise that I’ve been doing for the past 2 months. This one is much closer to a magical version!

One thing that I notice makes a different: feeling vs. thinking or saying. Feel it!! Don’t just list the things you like and appreciate – but truly feel gratitude towards these things.

Journaling

Writing it down will have a bigger impact. The message gets put into your whole body (arm, eyes, etc.) when you write it down rather than just think it.

Bullet journaling is a hot new topic. I’ve been journaling for decades and “bulleting” is certainly part of it. If you already have a journaling routine or wanting to learn how to bullet journal – add this in there!

In the Morning

List 5 things that you are grateful for right now

coffee
amazing weather
my nice neighbor
going to see family soon
wifi

List 3 things that you are looking forward to today

chilling at the end of the work day
indian food
watching some Netflix

At Night

What was the best part, thing of the day?

phone calls from good friends

List 5 things you did well

took the bus to save money
returned my friend’s book
got some important work done
answered important emails
tracked down an item i’ve been looking for

Doing this exercise everyday gives a great boost to self-esteem and overall happiness. Try it out and let me know how it works out for you!

Bonus

This awesome and inspiring poem was written by Norman Vincent Peale and is from his book “The Power of Positive Thinking”. He says he reads it every morning. I’ve been reading it every morning for the past several months and I feel really good when I read it. Try it out!

How has gratitude worked in your life? Have you tried this exercise or one like it? Tell us how it worked!