Make a Fresh Start – Day 28

I can’t believe it is already the last Thursday in January. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series “Make a Fresh Start.”

Today’s idea is not new, but it is so powerful that it bears repeating. The challenge is to identify one thing for which you are grateful each day. In the first few months, this will likely be an easy task. For example, most of us have sufficient food, water, access to sanitary facilities, and many other life necessities.

The “fresh” part of this idea is to require that each item you add to your list must be new. In other words, no repeats! Focusing on what is going right in our lives is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to improve our perspective. Even on our worst days, there is always something we can find that went right, even if it was simply waking up.

There are many ways to keep track of your observations, including:

• Write in a journal
• Keep a list on your phone
• Record on lined paper on a clipboard (with an attached pen)
• Fill a jar with a note each day
• Hang a poster board and add thoughts each day to create a “gratitude mural”
• Record one thing each day on your calendar

Wherever you capture your thoughts, be sure to ensure that it has sufficient capacity to accommodate a year’s worth of thoughts, and that it is easy to access.

Once you have a place to record, now consider what time you will note your gratitude item of the day. If you slot this action into a specified time each day, such as before you go to bed, or when you finish eating dinner, you are less likely to forget. You can also set an alarm on your phone as a daily reminder.

The goal of this idea is not to burden you with “one more thing to do.” Instead, it is to help you feel joyful, fortunate, and blessed throughout the year.

Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? Do you think you could do it for an entire year?