A gratitude journal is a powerful way to keep yourself grateful, always feeling good and in a positive state of mind. This step-by-step guide will show you exactly how to start a gratitude journal for a meaningful life.
“Whatever we think about and thank about we bring about” - Dr John Demartini
Thank you. I am grateful. It’s quite amazing the potent impact that a few simple words can have.
Saying thank you or expressing gratitude in any way is one of the simplest and most fundamental ways in which you can almost immediately raise your vibration and, in turn, hasten the process of manifestation.
Thoughts of gratitude automatically put you in tune with a giving universal energy.
Why the Power of Gratitude Can Transform Your Life.
The more grateful you are, the more aligned you are with this energy.
When you are expressing gratitude for the good things in your life, your manifesting power is focused on finding the positive and consequently, your energy will naturally rise to a more positive vibration.
The more that you can appreciate the good things, the more good things you’ll receive and the more rapidly they will come to you.
The simple reason is that the feeling of gratitude and appreciation resonates at a very high vibration, one that magnetically draws more good into your physical reality very quickly.
If you desire success, happiness and fulfilment in your life, thinking focused thoughts that match your desires will lead to more situations that will help you get what you want.
If you’ve been struggling with attracting or visualizing what you want, gratitude is the missing ingredient that you’ve been looking for. So many people are caught in the trap of complaining about their life.
They constantly talk about how tired or lousy they feel, or express a lack of energy.
At other times they’re busy criticizing something or finding the lack in their lives. They forget to appreciate all that they do have and find themselves buried in a maze of negative, critical thinking.
How Gratitude Can Make You Feel Positive All The Time.
Positive thoughts vibrate on an entirely different frequency than negative thoughts. Appreciation, gratitude and love are the highest forms of vibration.
Since you can only have one vibration at a time, if you’re busy noticing what you appreciate and what you are grateful for, you can’t also be noticing what you don’t like.
When you offer thoughts of gratitude and appreciation, you’re offering positive thoughts and a positive energetic vibration that will inevitably start to attract the things that you desire.
The key to having success with the Law of Attraction and manifesting your desires is found in cultivating a regular practice of gratitude.
The more often you express gratitude and appreciation, the more positive vibrations you’ll be creating. Appreciating what you have is an immediate way to feel good now.
You’ll experience higher frequency emotions such as joy and happiness and, as a result, you’ll create more of what you do appreciate.
If you’re wondering whether a bit of gratitude can really have an impact on you and your life, consider the fact that several scientific studies now point to numerous benefits associated with the practice of gratitude.
Research has shown that those who regularly practice gratitude feel better about their lives overall, report fewer health issues, a greater level of satisfaction with their lives and feel more optimistic about the future than others.
Not only that, research has also demonstrated that gratitude actually increases how happy you feel.
A Short Story on Power of Gratitude.
Consider the following story that demonstrates how a little gratitude went a long way in the life of one woman and the company she worked for.
Janice worked for the same company as a janitor for 25 years. Being a janitor while it’s a respectable, hardworking job, is still one that most people probably wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about having.
Well, it happened that the company changed owners. Within a few days of taking over management, the new owner sent a personal thank you card to every employee in the company.
When Janice received and opened her card, she burst into tears and asked if she could be excused from work. Thinking she was sick, she was allowed leave for the rest of the day.
A few days later the real story emerged. Janice had never received even a verbal thank you from the previous owners and management, much less a personally signed card.
It was a gesture that touched her deeply. In fact, Janice had been thinking that the change of ownership offered her the ideal time to quit the company and she’d planning on resigning that very day.
But she didn’t because a bit of appreciation made all the difference to her.
In turn, a bit of appreciation made the difference to the new owner as well, helping him retain a loyal, valuable and skilled employee who could help his business succeed.
Now that you have understood how a little bit of gratitude can shift your energy, vibration and your whole life. Let's find out how to start a gratitude journal.
A few ideas and exercises to help get you create your first gratitude journal:
1. Start a gratitude journal.
Take 5 or 10 minutes each day to write down a few things that you appreciate about your day. They can be big things or small.
You might be grateful for a stress-free commute to work, dinner with a good friend, a sunny day, a free cup of coffee, a job promotion or even a good night’s sleep.
Keeping a daily gratitude journal is a fantastic way to shift your perspective and focus on the joy and happiness that fills your life every day.
2. Wear a gratitude bracelet or something that reminds you to be grateful.
A simple glance at your bracelet serves as your cue to offer a silent “thank you” for the blessings that fill your day.
Even if you’re having a bad day, a small dose of gratitude will help you feel better. If you’re already having a fabulous day, a bit of gratitude will increase your joy even more!
3. Take a gratitude walk.
As you’re strolling down the street, walking the dog or hanging out at home, look around you and list as many things as you can think of to be grateful for.
Talk out loud and tell the universe what you love and appreciate about your life.
4. Write a letter of gratitude.
Write a gratitude letter to yourself or to a good friend who would be excited for your news. Write about how grateful you are about this wonderful thing that has happened in your life.
5. Feel gratitude in your body.
Notice the way gratitude feels in your body. When you’re writing in your gratitude journal, take a moment to pause and notice the physical sensations that come with feelings of gratitude.
Pay attention to how gratitude makes you feel – perhaps it’s a warmth in your chest or a sense of calm – and allow yourself to fully experience these sensations. This can help you cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation in your daily life.
6. Take time to reflect.
Gratitude journaling isn’t just about writing down a list of things you’re thankful for—it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture of your life and the things that truly matter to you.
Take time to reflect on what you’re grateful for, and why. What is it about these things that brings you joy and appreciation? Reflecting on your gratitude practice can help you stay engaged and connected with the things that matter most to you.
7. Get creative.
There are no rules when it comes to gratitude journaling, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your practice. You could experiment with different writing prompts or exercises, or try incorporating art or other forms of creative expression into your journaling practice.
For example, you might create a gratitude collage or draw a picture of something you’re thankful for. The possibilities are endless, so have fun and see where your creativity takes you.
8. Practice self-compassion.
Be kind to yourself when practicing gratitude journaling. Don’t judge yourself for what you write, and don’t worry about being perfect.
Simply focus on acknowledging the good things in your life, and be grateful for them. Practice self-compassion and try to focus on small things that bring you joy.
9. Don’t force it.
While consistency is important when it comes to gratitude journaling, it’s also important to listen to your intuition and only write when you genuinely feel grateful. Don’t force yourself to write just for the sake of sticking to a schedule.
10. Share your gratitude with others.
Consider sharing your gratitude with loved ones, either by writing them a letter expressing your appreciation or by simply telling them what you’re grateful for.
Expressing your gratitude can reinforce motivational feelings and create a sense of connection with others. This can also inspire others to focus on gratitude in their own lives.
Doing this exercise will bring about intensely positive emotions and put you in a joyful and highly-charged state of vibration. You can even write “as if” that thing happened in order to help manifest it into your life.
In fact, using the power of gratitude you can manifest all your dreams and desires.
Taking the time to appreciate what you already have is a powerful way to invite even more of the same into your life. This exercise can quickly get you out of any rut you may find yourself in and raise your vibration to a much more positive level.
It may seem easy for your mind to dwell on what’s not working in your life. You may find yourself focusing on the money that’s not there, the relationship that hasn’t arrived, the health issues you’re facing or any other such apparent stresses and
However, by focusing on what’s not working or what you don’t want, you’re closing yourself off from allowing abundance, happiness and joy to flow into your life.
Gratitude is the door that opens you to having what you truly want. Keep your door of abundance open by making gratitude a regular practice and watch as even more good comes your way.
That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this amazing guide on how to start a gratitude journal if you really loved it please do not forget to share it with your loved ones.
