Observing the art of gratitude 
& starting a Gratitude Journal
By: Spindaroos 

Do you find yourself feeling grateful or saying, ’thank you’ for everyday things that happen? Do you observe things around you like family and friends and feel grateful for them? Do you thank the person who bags your groceries, or the person who did your taxes this year? When you go on a hike do you feel the wind, listen to the birds and feel the peaceful surroundings; are you observant of what’s happening inside of you? Are you grateful for things large and small that happen in life and show gratitude for them? Being grateful can make a significant difference in your day and in your life. It can turn a pessimist into an optimist in the blink of an eye.

A great way to get into the habit of observing and feeling gratitude is to start a Gratitude Journal. Writing a gratitude journal has become a popular way to document and remind oneself, even in the toughest of times, of the many wonderful things that happen in life.

Pick out a journal from your local bookstore. If you’d like, you can purchase a small journal that you can keep in your purse, backpack or office drawer and when something happens you want to document, grab your journal and start writing! Or put a journal in your bedside table and journal before you go to bed at night. It can ease your mind and prepare you for a good night’s sleep full of positive thoughts from your day.

That’s it! And the bonus is, the more you write, the better you feel! Sounds simple enough.

There is ONE tricky part… if you’re having a particularly tough day where absolutely NOTHING seems to be going right, you must try to find one thing you’re grateful for about that day. When you learn to observe and find the light, even in the darkest days, those are the times that can make the biggest, long-term impacts.

There’s no limit to the number of items you write in your journal each day. Choose one thing, or a hundred things!

After you’ve practiced this for a short period of time, you’ll be excited about writing in your journal, and as things happen during the day that your grateful for, you’ll note to yourself, “I have to write that one down!”

Other side effects of feeling and journaling gratitude include:

• You may become more observant of the things in your life that should be shown gratitude.
• You may see that the things you thought made you happy before, aren’t necessarily the things that make you happy now. For example, getting that new smart phone made you happy before, but doesn’t seem so exciting now because you find those items aren’t as important as they used to be.
• You become a healthier person mentally and sometimes even physically.
• You see beyond yourself now. You may find yourself helping others more often.
• Your self-esteem is skyrocketing! Positive begets positive. You’ll feel great in your own skin. It’s like being your own personal cheerleader!
• You attract other positive people.

So many amazing benefits to documenting the good!

And the best part is looking back at all of the amazing things you’ve been grateful for and experiencing them all over again. When you’re feeling great or when you’re feeling low, you can remind yourself of these things.

The bottom line is this. When you expect good things to happen, many times they will, if for no other reason than you are simply more observant of them when you open yourself up to gratitude. You see life through a different set of eyes.