Gratitude Journaling – The power of being grateful

We are all living a life in fast-forward mode. Endlessly running to the next pit stop, relentlessly in pursuit of our dreams and never having enough time to really look up, look back and see how far we have come and put this in larger context of what it means for us since we started this journey.

We need to pause to appreciate the big and small things around us and within us. We need to listen, we need to feel, we need to be thankful.

While we are lost in the chaos of everyday life, what gratitude can give us are moments that help us hold on to things that bring us joy.

During my quest for a slow and wholistic living I stumbled upon the importance of gratitude on many occasions. I heard and saw many quotes that talk about the power of gratitude, the power of starting each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart. And how being grateful can attract miracles and help us achieve a sense of calm and peace in all our lives.

I was immediately captivated because I felt like I finally had the answer to the single most important shift in my attitude that was necessary to help me journey to a life that was more meaningful and intentional.

What is gratitude?

If you ask Google, this is what it says

While I concur with this definition of gratitude, I wish to take it a step further because gratitude does not always have to be a reaction or response to an action. The reason I say this is because I believe gratitude should not be motivated by an external force or entity. While it is a feeling that stems from within towards a person or a thing, it should also be a feeling experienced on days when nothing magical happens.

Gratitude is a mechanism to remind oneself of everything that is truly meaningful and valuable. A feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for where one is and what one has.

One of my favourite beliefs is that we should embrace all that comes to us with gratitude because that is the only way to happiness and a better life.

What are you grateful for today?

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that writing down gratitude has singlehandedly been the most significant life changing habit in my life. It is not as though I was living a life of remorse or repent, but more so that all the pleasant things in my life were being taken for granted.

Pausing your day to reflect on everything that happened and recalling something that made you smile, something that brought you joy puts a lot of things in perspective. Bringing awareness to even a small abundance in your life can really shift the lens through which you view your life.

There is no right or wrong way of doing this. It could be as simple as writing down today’s date and listing down everything that made you grateful for what you have. Could be a conversation with an old friend, chatting with your partner over coffee, taking a walk in fresh air, having the time to read a book. . the list is endless.

Once you start this activity you will also soon realise that you have way more things in life to be grateful for than you now think. And the best part is that by doing this for a few years you will have a priceless record of everything you have been grateful for over the years. You get an opportunity to not just experience life, but to re-experience it when you flip through your journal and go, Oh, I remember when that happened!!

It is really all about supporting our brains to focus and hold on to the good and joyful things in life amidst all the negative and chaos that surrounds it.

Gratitude is a state of mind

It has been scientifically proven that people who regularly practice gratitude writing are optimistic, happier and in general feel good about their lives.

It took me a while to realise that gratitude should be a state of mind, not just an activity you perform and check off your list for the rest of the day. It is a feeling that you need to embody constantly. At least that is what I have learned from my personal experience.

Along with writing down gratitude every single day, what I suggest is being in a constant trance of gratefulness. It is never forgetting how lucky you are for everything that you have and will have in your life. It is thanking the universe (or any superpower that you believe in) for giving you the beautiful life you have.