Gratitude is a choice. Do you find yourself often focusing on the negatives? Are you wanting to choose gratitude more in your life but not really sure how to begin that mental shift? Well look no further because this is for you!
I’m going to talk you through how to begin a consistent, daily gratitude journal. If this concept is new for you, I’m so glad you are reading this blog! Or maybe it’s not a new concept but you have yet to get started. I’m also glad you’re here.
Before we talk about how to begin and maintain the habit of gratitude journaling, I think it’s necessary to talk about why gratitude is so important. Gratitude is a choice. It’s a mindset. You can live the exact same life, with the same people, in the same place, with the exact same circumstances, losses, relationships, careers, finances, and so on and you can choose whether or not to live that life full of gratitude or without. It’s the same life. But living it with or without gratitude will make the experience of that life dramatically different. Our circumstances don’t decide whether or not we live a life of gratitude. We can choose gratitude regardless of our circumstances and in all circumstances.
What we focus on is what we will see more of in our lives. I’m not talking about manifestation. It’s like a couple years ago when we were looking into buying a new to us car. I was doing a ton of research into Mazdas. Before doing that research, I’d barely ever noticed them. But after I spent hours focusing on that specific brand of car, I started seeing them everywhere. I’d drive to the store and pass at least 5 Mazdas. I’d park next to one at the library. Were there suddenly more Mazdas out there? Did I magically manifest them all by focusing my attention on that brand? No, of course not. But what we choose to focus on is what we’re going to notice more because our minds are trained to look for, and notice that thing.
If you believe that life is out to get you and that everything turns out bad, you’re going to look for things in your life that confirm that belief. You’re going to notice and focus on the one thing that went wrong and miss the five things that went well. You’ll zone in on the imperfection and miss the beauty. Don’t let yourself miss out on the blessings in your life! Take a step today toward gratitude.
Gratitude is also a heart posture before God. When we choose gratitude, we declare that what He has done already in our lives by saving us, is already enough. It’s already worth all of our thankfulness and praise. It’s a posture of trusting Him in our circumstances. Trusting that He is working all things together for our good and for His glory even if we can’t see it in the moment. It’s a heart posture of choosing to believe Him by declaring that He is good and He is faithful.
We live busy lives. We may have any mix of career, parenting, school, volunteering, and much more that keep us busy. These things aren’t bad, but if we don’t take intentional time to focus our hearts and minds, these things can easily keep us distracted. That’s why it’s important to set our intentions for each day, every day. And that’s where gratitude journaling comes in.
Gratitude journaling is simple but life changing. It trains our minds to stop and take a moment to focus on what we are grateful for. It helps us remember that, regardless of what is happening in our lives, there is always something to be genuinely grateful for.
You can start a gratitude journal today simply by setting aside a consistent time each day to take a few minutes and write down at least three things you are grateful for in that moment. They don’t have to be big things. It can be the pleasant smell of a candle burning, the happy sound of birds chirping outside your window, the feeling of the fabric of your soft sweater against your skin. These things may seem small, but training our hearts and minds to notice and appreciate all the little beautiful moments in our day is profound. Be sure to keep a notebook or journal so you can look back and remember all the things you are grateful for.
To sum up, we talked about:
How gratitude is a choice and a heart posture. Our circumstances don’t dictate our gratitude, we get to choose it regardless of our current situation.
What we focus on is what we will see more of in our lives. So focus on the blessings.
You can start shifting your mindset by taking just a few consistent minutes each day to write down at least three things, big or small, that you are grateful for.
What are some of your struggles when it comes to choosing gratitude? Leave me a comment and let me know!
I’ve prepared some printable journal prompt pages that are yours for free! This is a great resource for you as you begin to live with more intentionality. You can click here to Download. Use them each morning to really set your day off right!
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