Does anyone do them? Keep them for the month of November/Thanksgiving? I think Listgirl brought this up a few weeks ago, but I just wanted to see if anyone had any more ideas, etc!
I've been doing prayer journalling for October as part of the 31 Days of Change, and the one I did today was a gratitude prayer, but it's rather a mixed bag. I love what it does to my heart to keep track of everything I'm thankful for, though.
I did 30 days of gratitude on my FB status last year but I was thinking it would be fun to do a little journal this year with them... I LOVED doing it last year, just would be fun to have a little book to look back at
I don't have a gratitude journal per se, but I do use Grateful160, which is like Oh Life, but for gratitude. It isn't all cutesy, but I do think about it every day. And sometimes I write the Sunday Gratitude blog posts at One Story Down. I've been doing some form of gratitude for the past 15 years or so. I used to keep a physical journal, and I forced my mom to do it for awhile. She ended up liking it. LOL. A long time ago, I also had a group of friends who would check in via email and do a "gratitude circle" of sorts. That was nice while it lasted. The past few years, I've done the month of gratitude on FB in November. A funny side note... I guess a group of people I went to high school with started doing it because I had it on FB. Two people thanked me last year because they've been doing it for a couple of years now. That made me happy. I just really think it is important to find even little things you are thankful for in every day. It is so easy to get caught up in complaining and thinking life is horrible, but there is always something good to be found. I'm not always positive, but I try really hard not to be a negative nelly. When I'm around my step-daughter and/or see her horrible facebook posts, and I just cringe because she is *the most* negative person I've ever seen. I'm thinking about making a gratitude journal for her at Paper Coterie for a Christmas gift. Or if anyone knows of any other resources, hook me up!
love this idea! i started reading the book "1,000 gifts" this summer, and kinda started keeping a list of things i was thankful for, but then got off track. i'd love to keep a list for 30 days (maybe the month of november) and then scrap it in a mini book or something. thanks for the inspiration ladies!!
A few years ago I did 30 days of gratitude on my blog in November and created a mini badge album It was super easy, fun, and still sits on one of my shelves in my living room. Definitely checking out Grateful 160, thanks for the tip Kimberlee! I also love your gratitude circle idea, what a great way to connect with others and to stay positive! For me gratitude is the key to happiness.
This!! It was so inspiring to see so many "thankful for..." posts last November. I think I will try to do some sort of paper/hybrid mini album this year. *ahem* any designers wanna hook us up?
I tried doing it on FB last year and I didn't do so good! I got about 1/2 way through and failed miserably!!!
I read this book last year and actually did make my list and post it each week all the way to 1000. I am not always good about keeping up with my notebook since then, but I do think it is such a good discipline. I even read some research that shows the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal specifically for students. For those who kept gratitude lists or journals, they had better grades, less depression, were happier, etc. So, in my 7th, 8th, 9th grade classes, we spend the last 10 minutes of the week writing in our gratitude journals. I covered the doors in yellow paper and they each write one thing on the door each week. It makes for a great ending to the week, I think!
I keep a kind of written gratitude journal but I might be checking up on that Grateful 160! Thanks for the link and tip Kimberlee!!
I'm actually working on a printable/png files/mini class based around Gratitude Journals with my site, Document Life Workshop. -- I'm hoping to have it out next week, so keep an eye out for that!
Yes. I do. I have approached November as a month of counting blessings so to speak, for a few years now, and this past year in January I actually started with daily gratitudes. I have a little box with notecards inside for each day. I hope to have it continue over the years so I can see the kind of portrait painted through my daily notecards. I find that it really helps me stay focused, intentionally, on what really matters most. I find I complain less (I still complain, believe me, but it's not as often), I find the good easier and generally feel more content.
That's terrific news Allie ! I keep, ahem, kept a gratitude journal years ago and really should do this again. I spent 5-10 minutes each night before bed reviewing my day and finding things to be grateful for. After a while, it had a great impact on how I spent my days, I could feel the gratitude right now in the present.... yup, need to do that again.
I have been keeping a gratitude journal for three years now. Not daily or even weekly but whenever I feel completely overwhelmed with gratitude for something. It's so fun to read-- especially when I'm having a pity party.
