Elizabeth M. Johnson

What I have learned in the two-ish weeks that I have been doing this is that you have to write them down as soon as you visually make contact with your journal. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked into a multi-tasking showdown. Take a deep breath and open your beautiful journal. Just dig in.

I am talking about starting and keeping a gratitude journal. I am using a journal that is brown from Compendium Publishing which was given to me by a woman who participated in Uncommon Confidence over the Fall. See below. I didn’t know what I would do with it when I first received it but I held onto it. Daily, I list 5 things–that’s it–that I am grateful for. They can be big or small, unique to you or relevant to the world, whatever. Then, I am done.

There are a few benefits to your self-esteem in committing to keeping a journal solely dedicated to the gratitude that you feel for certain essential things in your life. Something that I have noticed is that because the scale of this journalling is so small (just write 5 things), I tackle each entry eagerly–without sighs or dread or worries if I am writing ‘enough’. The completion immediately makes me feel good about myself because I got something done. Another boost to my self-esteem is the fact that through the writing, I am eliminating the tendency for perfect. Whatever five things you write down are fine. And, if you wished you’d wrote down five “better” ones, you can write them down tomorrow. Showing gratitude naturally makes perfectionism skulk away, guiltily.

I say that any activity that strengthens your Authentic Self and builds self-esteem without a ton of effort is a win anytime. Try it and let me know what you think.