As many of you know, a Gratitude Journal is a book, document or app where you write down or type things you’re grateful for, usually, and ideally, on a daily basis. It can be a powerful influence on your mindset, and I’ve taken it one step further in order to help achieve my goals and dreams.
We can be grateful for a whole range of things, from the broad smile of a passing stranger, to the narrow miss of a car accident. From the death of a toxic relationship, to the birth of a long-awaited child. From priceless running water, to a river of everyday abundance.
The power of gratitude
The benefits of gratitude have been documented extensively. Here are the key benefits that are personal and profound to me.
Gives me perspective
A state of gratefulness lets me see situations from a different angle, a different point of view. A view that can diffuse any negativity, anger or selfishness.
Helps me live a more peaceful, positive, tolerant life
Living with gratitude increases my tolerance toward situations and people because I can see life-enriching lessons even in the most uncomfortable moments. That’s not to say I’m never angry or upset, I am. But at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, I circle back to a state of gratefulness.
The reality is, I can’t stop difficult things from happening, but I can change the way I view them, and react to them. The other day I found myself getting impatient in the long queue at the supermarket, but instantly, I switched back into gratitude mode. I said to myself, “I’m grateful to have access to food, when so many men, women and children will go hungry tonight.”
It was a change of mindset that instantly lowered my blood pressure, and raised my tolerance.
A sacred space for healing
A journal is like my own private therapist. Sometimes the things I’m grateful for are bi-products of sadness or pain. Working through that pain is cathartic.
Sensory joy
My gratitude is written in notebooks not devices, and over the years these notebooks have been special to me. They’re either handmade, a gift from someone special, have a cover I love, or are sentimental in some beautiful way.
Because I adore the tactile and sensory experience of seeing and holding the journal, writing in it becomes a blissful experience in my busy day.
Boosts my mood
Whenever I’m feeling a bit low, I skim through the pages of my Gratitude Journal. Even through dark moments, my journal bathes me in light.
A wonderful tool for self-reflection and self-awareness
When I flip through previous Gratitude Journals, I read fascinating chapters from the story of my life. I see what has been important to me at different times. How I’ve changed. How much I’ve grown. This makes me more self-aware, and gives me opportunities for self-reflection. The insights from the past heighten my clarity for the future, as well as my understanding of the present.
How I made my journal different, and why you should try it too.
Gratitude Journals are unique to each person. This is how mine is different and it has done wonders for reaching my goals and giving my achievements the recognition that they deserve.
When I write in my journal, it’s always on a double page spread.
On the left page I write my gratitude for the day, and on the right page I write my manifestations.
My manifestations are dreams I want the universe to help me realise.
Brief examples of manifestations I’ve written:
· I want my brother’s illness to heal
· I want our mortgage refinance to be approved
· I want a certain measurement of success in my business
· I want a certain hard-to-find product to become available to me
The power of manifesting cannot be understated, and my journal almost becomes like a dream magnet! The power of writing them is also like an unintended goal-setting exercise, because the moment the words are written, I subconsciously and consciously work toward achieving them.
When one of my dreams comes true, I do the following. When I next write in my journal, I copy the relevant manifestation from the right page onto the gratefulness section on the left page. It’s no longer something I dream about, it’s something I am grateful for! By my own hand, the manifestation has taken a gentle journey from page to page. And by my own actions, in real life, I have taken that gentle journey too.
That’s how my journal becomes a journey.
Gratitude
As long as I have my journal, I know that I will always reap the benefits of gratitude, which include tolerance, peace, compassion, happiness, opportunities for self-reflection and self-awareness; and the realisation of my dreams through simple manifestations.
In my Gratitude Journal today, I will write that I’m grateful to have shared my story with you. And I’ll manifest that it is shared widely and is well-received. I hope you’ve benefited from it in some small but magical way.