The Gratitude (Journal) *Blog*

How to Create a Gratitude Journal
by Cynthia Sue Larson

Many people have asked me, "What's the best way to make my favorite dreams come true?" I reply that the single most important thing we can do to help make our lives most enjoyable is to feel and express our love and gratitude as often as possible. One of the easiest ways to make gratitude a part of our lives is by starting a gratitude journal... a place to document all those little things that bring love and joy into our lives.

Writing down all the things you love that you are grateful for can help you feel a deeper sense of love, and better recognize many of the daily miracles that come into your life. So often we rush through our lives with only cursory acknowledgement of what is wonderful and what feels beautiful in the world -- and when we just take a few minutes to feel our gratitude, our lives immediately feel more full of love and joy.

I began writing a daily journal several years ago, after reading Julia Cameron's inspiring book, The Artist's Way. I read one chapter each week, taking time to do the exercises at the end of each chapter... and most of all, to write at least three pages every day in a journal. I was astonished at how the simple act of writing down a few things about what I most loved every day tended to bring even more things I love into my life.

I have found that when I am feeling loving and appreciative, those very emotions alter my experience in the physical world... the universe "out there" outside my inner sense of self begins to actively reflect the love and joy I am feeling inside. Best of all, this experience of bringing love and joy to the "outside world" by first nourishing it in the "inner world" does not require anything except the knowledge and desire to become a more loving and appreciative person.

If this sounds interesting to you, there are just a few simple steps to creating your own gratitude journal:

Buy a Journal Notebook

Any kind of notebook will do, as long as you've got lots of room to write and draw to your heart's content. I prefer the kind of large spiral bound notebooks with hundreds of pages, so they'll last for a couple of months. Most drug stores and office supply stories carry journals, and you can even find them in many grocery stores as well. Your choice of notebook reflects your own individuality, so have fun with finding the right journal book for you.

Choose Your Gratitude Journal Time

Find a quiet time when you can be alone with your thoughts, feelings, intuitions and sensations... so you can write down all of your ideas and feelings with a minimum of interruption. I write in my journal when I first wake up, and sometimes right before I go to sleep. I've found I do a better job of remembering to write in my journal when I make a commitment to myself to write at a regular time each and every day.

Write Three Pages Every Day

This may feel impossible on those days when you think to yourself, "But I don't have anything significant to write about!" Don't worry. You actually DO have much to be grateful for, and simply setting aside the time and space for you to remember all the little things you love will get you started. Once you get started with your gratitude journal and you see for yourself how much better your life becomes, you won't want to stop!