Shifting to Gratitude Through Journaling.
One of my favorite daily habits is journaling. I enjoy writing and journaling creates time and space for me to reflect on what I want to achieve for the day as well as what I’m grateful for having in my life. I had been hearing from numerous sources that creating a “Gratitude Journal” is good for the mind by simply writing 3-5 things down that I’m grateful for. This is a habit I started well over a year ago and it evolved from a small list into a few categories after hearing about The Five Minute Journal that a few of my good friends were using (the below “answers” were taken from my entires this past Saturday January 21, 2017):
Centering thought… (this comes from what my mantra from my daily meditation is)
I define my performance.
What would make today great…
1. Day of connection with Mike’s nephew Ben and his wife Barbara.
2. Experiencing beauty and feelings at the relaunched SFMOMA.
3. Delicious lunch at Monsieur Benjamin.
Awesome things that happened today…
1. Experiencing the updated SFMOMA that many friends have been raving about.
2. Finally sinking my teeth into the best Almond Croissant in the city at Arsicault Bakery.
3. Generous duck portions at Monsieur Benjamin for my brunch entree.
How I could have made today better…
1. Bringing additional jackets and layers for Ben and Barbara who did not pack warmly enough for the cold and rainy city weather.
2. Ordered the French Toast at lunch.
3. Packed MacroBars as an afternoon snack to hold us over from lunch to dinner.
I’ve been journaling digitally on my iPhone with the template above resting in Evernote which I copy and paste into a new daily entry in my Day One App. I like journaling digitally because it allows me to go past two or three thoughts per section when I have more to write about.
The biggest surprise for me after establishing this habit was how much more mindful of a day I would create moving forward. Knowing that I would be recording moments of gratitude, I began to see and realize just how much I am grateful for on a regular basis including (but not limited to):
1. My boyfriend Mike grounding me regularly when I tend to over stretch myself
2. Muni getting me across town safely
3. Body work with my team of specialists from sports massages to chiropractic work
4. The honor and privilege of coaching CrossFit Classes at United Barbell
5. Successfully and carefully rehabbing my shoulder after an injury last Summer
Someone would do something for me and I would immediately think: “Wow, I’m so grateful that Nikki cared enough about me to do that” and then remember to journal about it before the day ended.
Curious to try? Consider buying the physical journal The Five Minute Journal from Intelligent Change or re-purposing the template above and beginning today. Let me know how it goes. If you have a suggestion for enhancements to my sections let me know too!
Last Updated/Enhanced: January 26, 2017
