15 Things I am Grateful For

Part of my nighttime routine is to write a list of things that I am grateful for. I’ve been consistently writing in my gratitude journal for almost a year. I first heard of the idea years ago in “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. He says that writing down 3 different things you’re grateful every day will, over time, make you happier. Through the process of searching for the positive, you begin to rewire your brain to see the world in a different way. You become more aware of the good.

I more recently heard about the importance of being thankful from Rachel Hollis when I participated in her last 90 days challenge. One of her daily tasks was to write 10 gratitudes. In 90 days I had written 900 things that I was grateful for. I tried to be specific—not just writing that I was grateful for Jonathan, but saying exactly what he had done that day that made me grateful for him.

The ladies over at Tiny Ramblings say that staying in a mindset of gratitude can keep you happy and focused. You can also achieve goals faster and live a more balanced life when you focus on the positive.

If you have been wanting to start a gratitude journal, here are a few tips to get you started. . .

·Find ways to make it a habit. Add it to something you already consistently do every day—brushing your teeth, bed time or when you wake up, during dinner. Set an alarm as a reminder. Get a pretty journal and leave it out as a cue, then reward yourself.

·Use gratitude prompts to help get the thankful juices flowing. Or purchase a guided journal.

·Look for gratitudes in the unexpected and difficult moments. This sometimes means acknowledging the negative then finding the good. Or intentionally write about challenging things to see the situation from a different perspective.

·Instead of making a list of random things you are grateful for, write one thing you are grateful for then list 5 reasons why.

·Focus your gratitudes on one thing—write what you’re grateful for about yourself, choose a topic of the day, focus on a past event, an act of kindness someone did for you.

·Write in detail or write one word entries.

·When you are angry with a person, write all the reasons why you are grateful for them instead of all the reasons you are mad at them.

My parents are currently serving a mission in Utah and I try to write them a letter every week. Last week, I went back through my gratitude journal and shared with them the stuff that had happened in gratitude form. I don’t often go back and read my journal entries, but I had a good time remembering the good that had happened that week.

Here are 15 things I was grateful for last week:
1. to Jeanie for giving me an Insta pot. I just wanted to borrow one and she GAVE it to me! I canned have a zillion jars of bone broth.
2. for spending a little extra time around the dinner table with my family.
3. that Ephram made the baseball team at the school across the street. They weren’t “real” tryouts because there weren’t enough kids to cut, but I’m sure he would’ve made the team anyway.
4. for a day of good attitudes.
5. for getting all the kids where they needed to go. I was a little nervous because three of them had places to be right in the middle of the piano tuning and my other two drivers were not home. But it all worked out. Thankfully the piano tuner is a good guy and is easy-going.
6. for homemade beans. I don’t really eat them anymore but I love the smell.
7. this Martin Luther biography is so much easier to read than the one I read over the summer for my training. 
8. for the people who sacrifice for our freedoms. I got a little emotional teaching Dyllan today during school about the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
9. for Faythe. We celebrated her birthday. I love her happiness.
10. that I can homeschool.
11. when Jonathan cooks dinner. 
12. that the high school is only 2 miles away from home. I had to go there four times today. I took Corbin to practice. Then he forgot some paperwork so I had to take it back. Then I had to take Dyllan for auditions. (Which, by the way, she got a role in high school play.) And I had to go back for a parent meeting. And there will be a lot of driving there over the next couple of months.
13. a good first day at HILL (our homeschool group). I’ll be mentoring a good group of kids. I think it will be a tough year but a year of growth. 
14. that Jonathan has brought me home good ice almost every day from work.
15. that I can associate with people who are good at what they do. It’s so inspiring. 

What are you grateful for today? Share in the comments.