One of the things I still do for the past 5 years or so is my practice of taking the time to reflect on gratitude. I write in my daily journal everyday so I include 3 lines to list out 3 things I am grateful for that day.
It’s my chance to sit and really think about everything. A lot of the time, I’m so wrapped up in a problem or a project I don’t take the opportunity to look at the little things.
For example, one of my favorites gratifying reflection is just the fact that I have access to clean water. I can’t forget of the miracles of life that has brought us to this point in time. As humans we used our ingenuity to harness the infrastructure to bring access to water in almost every building we walk into. It blows my mind every day just like airplanes (but I’ll leave that for another post)!
I just have one rule: every line is a new thing to be grateful for. This has helped me put things into perspective. It gives me a break from the stress and pressure I put on myself. I can openly let it consume my thoughts for about the 5 -1 0 minutes before I put it in my journal. I feel so much better when I have my 3 things.
I think this was a result of 2 things that I read. The first was “The 5 Minute Journal” by Alex Ikonn and U.J. Ramdas which someone had given me. After I filled up all those pages, I carried on the practice to my other journals even to this day. The second was from from Hal Elrod’s “Miracle Morning” book. Actually, I still loosely practice the S.A.V.E.R.S. in the morning. Maybe not as consistently as before but I don’t beat myself up anymore for not being perfect about it.
So what are your 3 things you’re grateful for today? Have you incorporated this practice or thinking about it? Share in the comments below.
Featured Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
