This post is Day 8 of the 31 Days to Reset Your Life Challenge for 2011. Learn more and sign up for the program here.
“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
Over the course of this month, you will be manifesting new habits and wonderful outcomes for your life. Sometimes though, we have to learn how to be grateful for what we have before the universe will give us more.
Today, you will keep a gratitude journal. Studies have shown that cultivating a sense of thankfulness in your everyday life is good for your mental health and emotional well-being. In fat, UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons has demonstrated such in his research:
The evidence that cultivating gratefulness is good for you is overwhelming. Gratitude is a quality that we should aspire to as a part and parcel of personal growth…Specifically, we have shown that gratitude is positively related to such critical outcomes as life satisfaction, vitality, happiness, self-esteem, optimism, hope, empathy, and willingness to provide emotional and tangible support for other people, whereas being ungrateful is related to anxiety, depression, envy, materialism, and loneliness.
Indeed, in times like these, we need more gratitude. More optimism. Not more stuff to be happy about, just simply more expressions of being grateful for what we already have or experiences we’ve had in the past.
Estimated Time to Complete: 30 minutes
Today’s exercise requires you to be very conscious and mindful of the blessings – big and small – that surround you. Throughout the day, write down everything that you’re grateful for. Your list should contain at least FIVE items. It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions over the course of your day as “gratitude prompts”:
- What am I thankful for in this moment?
- What’s working for my good right now?
- Today, I’m grateful for . . .
You may answer with things, people, emotions, circumstances, et. It’s up to you to take stock of whatever the universe is providing for you.
Take Action and Reflect: When you’re done, please share your gratitude journal with us in the comments! What were the five things you were most thankful for today? Start your comment off with “Today, I am grateful for . . .” If you blogged about today’s assignment, please post the link in the comments so we can read it!
TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR…………………………………
God and his Infinite Wisdom, wonderful blessings and endless grace and mercy
my family, warts and all
my wonderful friends whom I know have my back when I need them
2 children and 1 grand that are the highlight of my life…….most of the time
the growth ive had in the past 4 yrs
ATL Shawty 
the memories of my grandparents and other family members who have gone home
the internet and facebook
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