Gratitude Journal Tips: Be Consistent and Creative

Now that you have acquainted yourself with the basics, you can then move towards making your gratitude journal experience deeper. How? It's by being consistent and by being creative.

Being consistent

Do not miss a day without writing a gratitude list. Why? You will lose the momentum you started. Missing out an entry is also a sign of non-commitment. Do not deprive yourself of the power to reflect on the things that matter. At times, you might be caught up with other things that you forget to write your thoughts down. In this case, take some time to make an entry as soon as you remember it. This way, you will not lose the continuity of your experience.

TIp: Download a gratitude journal app with an alarm to remind you to make entries.  Learn more about our favorite gratitude journal app, Gratitude Journey, at the developer's site.

Being creative

Once you manage to complete the first few entries in your gratitude journal, it is time to enjoy the experience by being creative. Some people get a wide notebook and stick pictures or different artworks on them. For example, if a mother is thankful for the love her daughter expressed in her drawing, she'll take that drawing and stick it in her gratitude journal. Others take to photos. They take a snapshot with the person they are thankful to and place it in their journals. Finally, some people draw the things they are thankful for. So there are many ways you can show creativity. It makes the act of writing enjoyable and personal.

There are other tips out there when it comes to creating gratitude journals. The aforementioned are only a few of the best practices you can start with. So invest time by reading additional information about the power of gratitude journals.

Finally, remember this: a life of gratitude - this is a pursuit facilitated by a gratitude journal. Through the entries you make, you bring yourself the gift of a new perspective, the will to survive challenges, the opportunity to be grateful for simple things, and the chance to live a life of meaning. Start being thankful today.

Be Humble in Your Gratitude Journal

It might look simple but when you actually sit down to write your first gratitude journal entry, this question can be a dilemma: "what will I write about?" Here are some tips for you:

How to Brainstorm for a Gratitude Journal

To get started with your gratitude journal, start with the basic things in life. Were you able to eat a full meal today? Did you have dinner as a family? Notice how these questions are basic but they comprise the things that most people do not pay attention to. Consider this step as a challenge because as you reflect on it, there might be more things in your life that you should have been thankful for apart from earning more money.

Deepen your thoughts. Move towards a wider level of appreciation once you get used to thinking about the basic things in life. Did you thank your boss for simply being there? Did you arrive home or drive to work safe? Did someone pick the newspaper for you? Things like this are usually not obvious to other people. Not that they do it deliberately; they just have a lot of things going on in their heads to notice.

Getting Started with a Gratitude List

Start with a few items; be specific. Begin your gratitude list with at least three to five items. Do not pressure yourself to think about 10 things when you can manage four. This practice equates to the respect you have for yourself when it comes to slowly learning the art of gratitude. And when you start your gratitude diary, make sure to make your entries as specific as possible. The advantage of doing so is it prompts your memory to relive a happy experience. Having these kinds of memories provides a healthy result: positive thinking.  http://www.pranatothepeople.com/

What is a Gratitude Journal?

In a life full of distractions, responsibilities, and difficulties, we often forget to see things in a brighter perspective. That's what a gratitude journal is for. It is a repository of our dedication to sit down and take a few minutes to ponder about what we are thankful for. It is also our personal Book of Lists. We scribble, we doodle, and we write what we feel. Also known as a gratitude diary, a gratitude journal is our personal companion as we go through our daily routines and when retiring for the night, we confide our best thoughts. So how can you start and end your day with gratitude? The tips that follow can help.

How to Select a Gratitude Journal 

You might not know it yet but a gratitude journal, also called a gratitude diary, can be written in a notebook, can be typed online, and can be entered in a journal app. Let us discuss each of these further.
The notebook. It doesn't have to be fancy; in fact, it can be a plain, blank notebook. A gratitude journal does not pick on design. And while highly motivated by your personal choice, most people start with a scribbler - a pocket notebook that they can easily carry around with them. The advantage a notebook offers is you get to a more personalized level when you actually feel yourself making an effort to think and then to write the things that you are grateful for each day. And because it's important, you just can't afford to lose it, thus, it becomes a part of what you value.

The web. People have taken their gratitude journals to a higher level - the Internet. Some people created a blog of their own and they use it as their gratitude diary. Some, who enjoy the experience of typing, pull a Notepad, complete their gratitude list, and save it in their computer. The benefit of going online is that you will not worry about misplacing your journal. You can find it right where you left it.

The Gratitude Journal App

In an effort to meld technology with personal reflection, gratitude journal apps have been created. And just like the web, you make your daily entry by using your smartphone. You can even add photos in each of your entries if you like.  Our favorite is an app called Gratitude Journey by a non-profit company called Prana to the People.  You can learn more about Prana here.

Regardless of your choice, always remember to put value in your gratitude journal. It's the only testament you have in showing the world that you are out there appreciating the gifts of life.