When you learn to appreciate the things and people that you have in your life right now, you shift from living in lack to living in abundance. Take a moment and think about what you’re most grateful for today. Use the below tips to help get you started!
WRITE IT!
HELPFUL TIPS FOR GRATITUDE JOURNALING
Look for the good all throughout your day. Instead of dwelling on the negative, look for the positive things.
Choose your time wisely. Find a small block of time in your day where you can focus on your thoughts and write without interruption.
Be as specific as possible. Specificity is key to fostering gratitude.
Go for depth over breadth. Elaborating in detail about a particular person or thing for which you’re grateful carries more benefits than a superficial list of many things.
Get personal. Focusing on people to whom you are grateful has more of an impact than focusing on things for which you are grateful.
Try subtraction, not just addition. Consider what your life would be like without certain people or things, rather than just tallying up all the good stuff. Be grateful for the negative outcomes you avoided, escaped, prevented, or turned into something positive. Try not to take that good fortune for granted.
See good things as “gifts.” Thinking of the good things in your life as gifts guards against taking them for granted. Try to relish and savor the gifts you’ve received.
Savor surprises. Try to record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude.
Revise if you repeat. Writing about some of the same people and things is OK, but zero in on a different aspect in detail.
Write regularly. Whether you write daily or every other day, commit to a regular time to journal, then honor that commitment.