The importance of daily gratitude cannot be encouraged enough. It is actually quite an easy routine to get into and has so many positive benefits associated with it. Our brains seems to be wired to focus on negative thoughts so we need to rewire it to establish a positive mindset. Cultivating a daily gratitude practice is easier than you think.
3 Good Things: A Happiness Journal app
This app is one of my most favorite apps on my phone. It has 3 spaces for each day where you write 3 things your grateful for or 3 things that make you happy or 3 things that are going well. You get the idea….3 positive things in your life. It reminds you to write each day and then it keeps track of the days you’ve written on it. You can then go back and see all the wonderful positives you have in your life. It mentions that it takes 21 days to change your mindset to focus on positives. Remember it’s not the big things in life, it is the little things that add up to a happier, more fulfilled life.
Gratitude Journal
I have a obsession with pretty journals. When I see them, I must buy them even when I don’t really need them. I do love to write so they are eventually put to use. One great use is to use one as a gratitude journal. Write down 3-5 things you are grateful for, that make you happy, that you smile about, etc. before you go to bed at night. Again, you have a record of the positives in your life that you can refer to again and again. You can get journals online, in the Target Dollar Spot or, my favorite place, TJ Maxx. I find a great selection at TJ Maxx; they are beautiful and quite inexpensive.
Gratitude meditation
My favorite meditation guru is Rebekah Borucki from Bexlife. She has simple, inspiring, short meditations that are so enlightening and make my soul so calm and happy. Below is a meditation that she labeled Meditation for Gratitude and Happiness…enjoy.
What a great post! Gratitude is so important!! I am also obsessed with pretty journals 🙂
I’m a journal-a-holic
It is so important to cultivate gratitude. It is so easy to forget that we are actually extremely blessed. But when we remember and think on that, life feels a lot better!
So important to be thankful for the little things in life
I am a huge fan of keeping a gratitude journal and keeping things around that are little reminders to choose happiness. It makes bad moments less important. Thanks for your tips!
Thank you Alissa
Ah I just wrote a gratitude post as well! It is one of my favorite feel-good practices. Also, I am a huge fan of journal collecting as well. It used to be sort of a problem 😉
Journals rule!!!
YES! Gratitude is something far too easily lost in the hustle and bustle and in always being future-focused. Of course, a future focus is beneficial to our overall development over time BUT we also need to take a moment to relax and just enjoy our lives – to remember that there will ALWAYS be something on the horizon but to also appreciate the new horizons we’ve found. informedandempowered.com has a great gratitude challenge in the resources section – totally free. You may wanna check it out 🙂
Thanks for the great resource…I will have to check it out.
I’ve been writing in a gratitude journal for a couple years now. Usually, I just write one sentence, and there are some days where I have to use a really basic thing, but I love doing it!
It’s the little things that add up to the big things:)
Hi kim! I will check out Rebekah! We both posted about journaling today–I’m going to take that as a sign to continue encouraging others to do this as you are. Thanks for sharing your sources! 🙂 ~Michele@hellolovelystudio
I will have to check out your post too…yes, the universe is telling us something.
I have never heard of the app, but I will be downloading it today. A gratitude journal is such a powerful tool to recognize the joy and happiness and ordinary moments bring us. I started a gratitude journal during a tough time in my life when I had trouble finding happiness every day. I quickly realized happiness can be found in something as simple as a cup of coffee in my favorite coffee mug.
Absolutely…I LOVE the app…so easy and you always have a record of your gratitude
I’m so bad about downloading apps and never using them. This looks like one I would actually use. Huge fan of Bexlife!
This is probably my most used app right now
Gratitude is so important and so many people take things for granted. I think starting a gratitude journal is a great idea.
ABSOLUTELY!!! It is so important to be thankful for the little things.
What a great way to take stock of your life and what is good and what is not. I love the idea of been aware of the importance of gratitude. I think gratitude makes people humble and want to help more. It also makes you happier person.
LOVE your comment…you speak the truth…thanks for stopping by
I love a gratitude journal. We gave one to our daughter for Christmas. We love hearing what she writes. I love the idea of the app. That’s very cool.
So fabulous that you are starting this process with your daughter…I love that.
Gratitude is such an important thing to have in life, I think we often forget to be grateful for the little things that happen to use everyday.
YES!!! So important to be grateful for the little things!
There’s always something we should be thankful of and we should never stop counting our blessings. Being grateful can really help give you a positive aura and disposition.
Yes it can!
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of gratitude. It’s such a wonderful thing to practice and really puts things into perspective. Just simply writing the things that you’re thankful for each night really helps to shift your mind into a different gear!
Yes…it rewires the brain to positive thoughts
I think it is so important to have a grateful attitude about life. I try to keep a gratitude journal.
Absolutely!!
These are great ideas, and I would like to make sure my kids learn to have a sense of gratitude, not to take for granted the things they have in life.
SO important to instill gratitude in our children…I agree.
I couldn’t agree more! Gratitude is something we all must practice. I should start doing a gratitude journal.
Try the app…it is so easy!!
I am fortunate to have parents who fostered gratitude mindset since we where kids and it’s something I utilise today. It’s so important and makes the world of difference
Gratitude is so important in the world today.
I great idea to cultivate a positive attitude. There is so much negativity in the world today which unfortunately means people need to make an extra effort to stay positive.
Yessss!!!!
Gratitude is so important and sometimes as a mom, I get so caught up in teaching my children certain things, that I forget that I need to do it too.
Definitely!!!
I can’t agree with you more. Gratitude is so important and makes such a difference.
It does make a huge difference.
I love this. Gratitude is so important when it comes to changing your mindset. Wonderful post.
Thank you Jana
Gratitude is so important! It’s one of my favorite feel-good practices. It is one of the best way to take stock of your life and what is good and what is not. I maintain a journal.
Journaling is so important.
I definitely need to start doing this.
Give the app a try.
These are all great tips. You’d think something like ‘gratitude’ would be easy but often times it’s not. Excellent read, I pinned this for later reference thanks!
Thank you Shannon
I always give thanks for the blessings that I have received. It is my daily bedtime prayer. Sometimes when I start to rant about things, my wake up call is a little voice inside my head that says, “You are better off than a lot of people who have nothing in life.” This is exactly the reason why I teach my kids to be generous with their “thank yous” and appreciate what they have. Thanks for this great read today.
That is exactly it…we always, always have something to be grateful for…our health, a home to live in, a loving family…it’s all very precious.
I absolutely love this! As someone who strongly believes that gratitude is the best attitude, I will have to try that app. Thank you for sharing about the app, I have never heard of it.
Try the app…it is awesome and so easy
I am grateful for many things. My niece is big on journals and I believe she told me she was starting a gratitude journal recently.
You should start a gratitude journal too
so really, we get what we put out into the world. If we focus on the good and pursue gratitude and happiness, we will be grateful and happy. If we focus on the negative, that’s what we will see.
Exactly:)