June 28th, 2017
I have been taking college classes for many years now in the pursuit of a degree.
Out of all the management and marketing courses one stood out because during that semester we were required to keep a daily journal as part of the grade.
This journal wasn’t just a daily diary of events it was to be very simple. Make at least one entry every day of what we were grateful for in our lives.
The entry didn’t have to be a thought-provoking, spiritual understanding, personal revelation about ourselves just a simple sentence of what we were thankful for in our lives that day.
There have been many article written about journal or diary keeping plus the many physical and mental benefits gained from this practice. In a Forbes magazine article from November 2014 titled “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude that will Motivate You to give thanks year-round” from research studies that showed the following as it pertained to gratitude and benefits one received from this practice. It included:
Gratitude opens the door to more relationships
Gratitude improves physical health
Gratitude improves psychological health
Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression
Grateful people sleep better
Grateful improves self-esteem
Gratitude increases mental strength
I have first-hand knowledge of the benefits gained by keeping a gratitude journal. It was an eye-opening experience that semester and most of us came away with a different perspective on life than we had at the beginning of the school semester. There were a lot more positive thoughts on my part and it affected my thinking about what I wanted for my future. It was at the end of that semester when I decided to make serious life changes for the better.
Today I am much stronger in my way of thinking than I was 3 years ago but as a part of my recovery process I decided recently to reintegrate daily gratitude’s into my morning routine.
I write a few things on a sticky note and have been keeping them posted in a highly visible area so I am reminded every day. It has changed my thinking quite a bit since I started this 17 days ago.
It has become a part of my morning routine after I get up for the day and usually while waiting for my morning coffee to brew. J
I also started taking pictures and posting them to my Instagram account so it might inspire others to do the same.
So finding something to be grateful about every morning has changed how I view the start of every day.
I have positive vibes going from the moment I wake up and it lasts pretty much the rest of the day.
It something I always recommend to others that may need a positive push in the right direction.
So what are you grateful for?
Thank you for stopping by.
Have a great week ahead.
Suzanne
love to bake 