We hear the word gratitude a lot. Especially in November, as if it’s the wake up call to be thankful about all we do have. Just like New Year’s Day and Mondays inspire people to begin anew, whether it’s to stop eating sugar and gluten or to call your mom more often, November seems to inspire us into gratitude.
Every night, I take a few moments to go over my day, take out my gratitude journal and write about that which I’m grateful. One of the many things I’ve learned from keeping a gratitude journal is being thankful is a practice. Maybe there are some of you out there giving thanks on the regular – it’s a habit for you. For most of us, gratitude hovers in the background, being taken advantage of like our breath – sometimes we notice it, sometimes we don’t. By creating a gratitude practice, by practicing gratitude – we learn how to be grateful every day.
Imagine going for a run once a week. Sure, you are getting the benefits of the breathing, the endorphins, the exercise. But are you developing a practice? Are you building your endurance? Going further? Strengthening your muscles? Doing something randomly or once a week can be fun and helpful, but we can get so much more out of it if we practice regularly.
I’m challenging everyone this month to start a gratitude journal of your own. Are you addicted to your phone? Grab a gratitude app – just search gratitude and tons of options will show up! Grab a leather bound or decorative journal. You can buy them anywhere – from Target to Papersource to Walgreens. You can always just get some looseleaf paper and leave it on your nightstand. The point is to think about what makes you feel grateful and to get it out of your head and into the Universe, whether it’s on paper or on your phone or your laptop.
I find it helps to take just a few moments at the end of the day to reflect. Try to write at least three things you are grateful for. Somedays, I’m not going to lie – I can only muster thanks for my pillow and my bed. That’s how somedays go, so don’t judge yourself for this. The point is, practice being grateful about something, every day. More times than not, the list is longer than you think it will be. Some days I write words and sentences and paragraphs. Some days, I write lists. It doesn’t matter how you keep your gratitude journal. Just begin and continue.
One of my favorite quotes (and gosh I have many!) is ‘Think about, thank about, bring about.’ Meaning, in the simplest way; when you are grateful for what you are thinking about, you bring more of it to you. Another one, just because I can – ‘Gratitude turns what we have into enough.’
So who is with me? All of you? GREAT. See what I did there? Gratitude, Grateful? GREAT? I am grateful I attempt jokes and sometimes they aren’t funny.
I will post my gratitude journal findings every day this month. The series will be called 30 Days of Gratitude at the top of my page. I hope you read along and begin your own journal! Come along for the ride and let me know what you are most grateful for every day – I know we can inspire one another.
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