More Effective than a Gratitude Journal?

(Time to read: ~ 1 minute)

I believe strongly in the value of noticing what we have to be grateful for.  And yet, so many of my initial attempts to write in my Gratitude Journal went something like this:

I’d think of something I appreciated and I’d start to write it down. Then my mind would bring up some related aspect of the situation that I wasn’t happy about. I didn’t feel grateful any more. So it didn’t feel right to put the initial thing on the list any more. I’d try to think of something else I was grateful for, and I’d have a similar experience.

 Too many of my intended gratitude sessions ended up with me staring off into space with nothing written down, so I’d give up and stop even trying to do them.

Then I got an inspiration from an NVC colleague living in France, Louise Romain, when she described her daily practice. (Thank you, Louise!)

My version of the practice is to ask myself

 What did I enjoy and not enjoy today?

I love the spaciousness and freedom in this question. I don’t have to think of things that make me feel any particular way – I just get to notice what is alive in me.

And the amazing thing for me is that, if you were to look over my journal, you would see so many things that I am truly, purely grateful for!

Somehow being giving permission to notice what hasn’t worked for me makes it so much easier for me to notice the gifts I have received.

What question can or could you ask yourself that would help you build increasing enjoyment of your life?

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Do you sometimes find it harder than you’d like to get over things that didn’t work for you? Perhaps I can help.