I have had this website for many years and I just didn't know where to start. Do I share research findings of living a life of gratitude? Do I post my daily triumphs and struggles while trying my best to be mindful of gratitude? How about a yearlong project where I try to live a different gratitude/uplifting quote for a week at a time? Maybe a little of everything? There are so many choices and decision making is not one of my strong suits. I want to help other people and myself (because this is still a struggle for me) to learn to live a more grateful life. Research does show that people who are grateful are happier, healthier, less stressed, sleep better, and exercise more. Who wouldn’t want that?
Here is my goal for you (and me) today. At some point during the day, write down things you are truly grateful for. They can be big or small, substantial or insubstantial. Consider things you normally take for granted. What would your life be like without them? It may be small, but I am truly grateful for sharpened pencils and working pencil sharpeners! Make this something easy on yourself, so that you will continue to do it. Notebooks and journals work well so you can easily refer back to them. On her Facebook page, Elizabeth Gilbert has been talking about having a happiness jar, where you write things that make you happy on a slip of paper and put them in a jar. How uplifting to look at your jar and see how full it is! If you don’t want to write things down, take “gratitude breaks” during the day. Just to stop for a moment and acknowledge all you have to be grateful for. Make it work for you!
So, today I am grateful for fresh starts. Today begins a new year. And thank goodness; 2020 could not end soon enough. Plus, it is a new day to try and do all those things I want so badly to be able to do, like eat better, drink more water, actually complete crafts I save on Instagram, and exercise. Best of all, I finally started the blog.
Beth