Being grateful everyday – New Year’s Resolution Inspiration

It’s officially a new year! January is when many of us reflect on how we would like to better ourselves for the new year, which is something I quite enjoy doing myself. That being said, I thought this was the perfect time to share how I remind myself to be grateful everyday, as well as the benefits of being grateful on a daily basis, which I hope can inspire you when jotting down your 2017 resolutions!

grateful 3

The Spring semester of 2016 was probably the most stressful time of my life as I was balancing very important school projects, equally important projects at work, and extracurricular activities such as tutoring and dance. I became very stressed and to this day I’m amazed I made it through those months. However, I did feel like I lost a bit of myself due to always being preoccupied with one thing or the other. That’s why in the summer, July to be exact, I started a Gratitude Journal. The concept of a gratitude journal was not new to me, and I definitely did not pioneer the idea, but I thought I would share my experience with it over the past few months, as it has been quite positive, and I’d love to share that positivity to even just one person out there.

grateful 2

How It Works

The idea is that each night, before going to sleep, you write down things which you are grateful for that day. These things can be as big or small as you want. For example, “I am grateful that I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in,” or something more trivial like, “I am grateful for the lazy day I had today, spent in bed watching Netflix all day.” There’s no limit and no boundaries to what you are allowed to write, as long as they are things which you truly feel grateful for. I personally like doing this before heading to bed every night, but I think it would also be a great habit to start each morning in a positive mindset!

One rule I do try to follow is not to repeat anything. We all have so many things to be grateful for so there is no reason for repetition. If you ever feel stuck, think about how you spent your day, with whom you interacted with, something that made you laugh – the possibilities are endless, and I’m sure you can think of at least a few things you are grateful for that day.

grateful 5

grateful 1

The Benefits

Honestly, the only benefits to keeping a Gratitude Journal that matter to me is that I feel happier and grateful for the life that I live. Living in a world which is filled with deadlines, internet trolling, and just general negativity, I think anyone and everyone could benefit from having a Gratitude Journal.

I also find my Gratitude Journal a nice little pick-me-up for any time I’m feeling down or particularly self-pitying. If I’m ever in one of those moods, I just flip through my journal, read a couple lines and I’m immediately reminded of all the abundance I have in my life, and like that, my whole mood is changed!

grateful 4

I’d love to know if this post inspired you to start your own Gratitude Journal, or if it’s something you already do. Let me know in the comments if you have any similar practices that go hand in hand with this one!