Spreading Gratitude

It's Gratitude Month in the U.S., though I practice it daily and often. I decided recently to share my gratitude journaling story on our company intranet. It's never easy being vulnerable, especially at work. But if I learned nothing from my deliberate practice, it's that it is all about being open and honest.

The following is what I shared... and has already given me more than I expected; and I only broaden my audience in that it continues to help others or spreads a practice that I believe will help us through uncertain times.

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January 6, 2021, was the day I opened a fabulous journal gifted to me the month prior for my birthday. The lines of it were made up of the text from my favorite book of all time: Alice in Wonderland.

We were almost a year into the pandemic, a U.S. insurrection had just occurred live on national media, and I was still grieving the loss of my niece who died of SIDS the day after my birthday. I had also just finished reading Greg McKeon’s book, Essentialism.

It was truly a weird time.

The journal was sitting there. I very much wanted to lay down some ink and swirl my words with Lewis Carroll’s. But I was at a loss for what. McKeon asks us to start the day with “What’s the most important thing I have to do today?” and prioritize that work accordingly. I set that intention, but what if I reflected on it? So, I started my journal with “What’s the most important thing I did today?”

And so began my journey into gratitude journaling. As it turned out, the most important thing I did most days had little to do with work, though there were days where it did. What I found was that the most important things I was doing were practicing kindnesses and expressing gratitude toward and for people. At some point the question shifted to simply, what am I grateful for today?

Today, it’s still the last thing I do before I go to bed. It is just a simple note to myself and the universe. It could be as simple as two words, and sometimes, though not often, two paragraphs. Typically, it’s a single sentence that caps my day.

I completed the Alice journal some time ago, and liking the idea, moved into an Oscar Wilde.?

But it really isn’t about the pages you write on; it is more about the doing. ?It's easy to get caught up in stress, worries, or the never-ending pursuit of what's next. But taking a moment to pause, reflect, and write down what you're thankful for can have a profound impact on your mental well-being.?

Starting and maintaining a gratitude journal helps you focus on the good, making even the busiest of days feel more meaningful.

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