It’s been about a month since I started trying to live a grateful life and here is the sad, sad truth: It’s hard to do. I know, I know! I have so many things to be grateful for – in fact, I have a list if you’d like to see it and about seventeen entries in my gratitude journal – but it is hard to keep a grateful outlook when ‘life’ gets in the way. I find myself angry at traffic, angry at technology, angry when things aren’t going my way…just angry for reasons that shouldn’t matter. Now that I’m paying attention, I’m a pretty awful, selfish, ungrateful person – which is a damn shame. I’m working on it by trying to live in the moment more and stop rocking in the worry chair – but I have to work on it every day.

My Gratitude Journal

I’m a fan of the gratitude journal, which I complete at work in the mornings. I tend to get in the office before the majority of the folks so it’s quiet and that gives me time to reflect on what’s been going on. It’s been helping keep me in the right mindset. In fact, the journal helped me see the good in a situation I would’ve previously been aggravated about so overall, that’s a win.

I haven’t started my gratitude letter yet. In case you’re unfamiliar with this term, it’s a heartfelt letter you write to someone listing specific things they’ve done that you’re grateful for. You’re supposed to read it to them in person but as a grateful introvert, that might not be ideal for me. I know who I want to write it to. There’s a 50-50 chance it goes over well. I will write it by the end of this month. Goal set.

The Gratitude Diaries

The roadmap for this little journey is from Janice Kaplan’s book, The Gratitude Diaries. I highly suggest this audiobook, especially for on the way to work, though I’m sure the printed copy is just as good.

I’ll try to think of something a little more snazzy for my October update, you know, so you can be grateful you actually read the post. See you then.