Practice, Practice
Today I am grateful for the comfort and peace I feel in a warm bed next to my husband. I am also grateful for fingers that function properly on keyboards.
Yesterday I wrote about the practice of praying on my knees. One of the other mindfulness practices that is at the very core of my efforts is the gratitude journaling I have been doing for twenty years.
I have written about this before but it is a theme that bears repeating. It is an action that works best if repeated regularly. For me, that means daily. It doesn't feel like drudgery to me, it feels like a vital part of my routine. Granted, some days I feel less grateful and have to "act as if," but I can still find some things to be grateful for and write them down.
To simply think of things or people I am grateful for isn't enough for me. I need concrete action. When I first started a gratitude journal, several months into it I realized that I was having fewer negative and self-defeating thoughts, that I was spending less time in my own head worrying and fretting. No matter how a person pursues it, looking for gratitude takes us out of ourselves. That is one of the many benefits. When I am out of myself and my narrow mind, I see so much more, I realize so much more, I feel so much more.
I have kept all my gratitude journals. I am currently on #11. I will sometimes pick one up and look at a few entries, but I mainly appreciate the day-by-day effort that fills each journal.
If you prefer to use more modern technology, there are plenty of ways laptops, cell phones, and other devices can be used to record gratitude lists and thoughts. Personally, I prefer pen to paper and the feel of a journal in my hands.
It's not necessary to journal daily either. I do because I am a creature of habit and I need the consistent efforts and actions. Do what works for you, but first we must start. If you haven't yet begun your own gratitude journal, make today or this week when you start. Onward!
Yesterday I wrote about the practice of praying on my knees. One of the other mindfulness practices that is at the very core of my efforts is the gratitude journaling I have been doing for twenty years.
I have written about this before but it is a theme that bears repeating. It is an action that works best if repeated regularly. For me, that means daily. It doesn't feel like drudgery to me, it feels like a vital part of my routine. Granted, some days I feel less grateful and have to "act as if," but I can still find some things to be grateful for and write them down.
To simply think of things or people I am grateful for isn't enough for me. I need concrete action. When I first started a gratitude journal, several months into it I realized that I was having fewer negative and self-defeating thoughts, that I was spending less time in my own head worrying and fretting. No matter how a person pursues it, looking for gratitude takes us out of ourselves. That is one of the many benefits. When I am out of myself and my narrow mind, I see so much more, I realize so much more, I feel so much more.
I have kept all my gratitude journals. I am currently on #11. I will sometimes pick one up and look at a few entries, but I mainly appreciate the day-by-day effort that fills each journal.
If you prefer to use more modern technology, there are plenty of ways laptops, cell phones, and other devices can be used to record gratitude lists and thoughts. Personally, I prefer pen to paper and the feel of a journal in my hands.
It's not necessary to journal daily either. I do because I am a creature of habit and I need the consistent efforts and actions. Do what works for you, but first we must start. If you haven't yet begun your own gratitude journal, make today or this week when you start. Onward!
Thanks for all the inspirational posts
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Kristi! How did all these years since SW fly by? I haven't run out of ideas for posts yet, so I guess I'll keep writing.
ReplyDelete