Reiki Ideas

A Gratitude Journal

A Gratitude Journal is a special journal you keep of what you are grateful for each day. It doesn't have

to be anything big or special, maybe today you are grateful there was some jam left for your sandwich, or

maybe you are grateful for the birth of a healthy baby. It's up to you and it changes everyday.

These journals are best when you are having a bad day. You can look back and remember all the things you

have to be grateful for

How to Create A Gratitude Journal

Many people have asked me, "What's the best way to make my favorite dreams come true?" I reply that the

single most important thing we can do to help make our lives most enjoyable is to feel and express our

love and gratitude as often as possible. One of the easiest ways to make gratitude a part of our lives is

by starting a gratitude journal... a place to keep all those little things that bring love and joy into

our lives.

Writing down all the things you love that you are grateful for can help you feel a deeper sense of love,

and better recognize many of the daily miracles that come into your life. So often we rush through our

lives with only slight acknowledgement of what is wonderful and what feels beautiful in the world -- and

when we just take a few more minutes to feel our gratitude, our lives immediately feel more full of love

and joy.

If this sounds interesting to you, there are just a few simple steps to creating your own gratitude

journal:

Buy a Journal Notebook
Any kind of notebook will do, as long as you've got lots of room to write and draw to your heart's

content. The best kind is probably the kind of large spiral bound notebooks with hundreds of pages, so

they'll last for a couple of months. Most stationers and office supply stores carry some kind of

journals. Your choice of notebook reflects your own individuality, so have fun with finding the right

journal book for you.

Choose Your Gratitude Journal Time
Find a quiet time when you can be alone with your thoughts, feelings, intuitions and sensations... so you

can write down all of your ideas and feelings with a minimum of interruption. Either when you first wake

up, or maybe right before you go to sleep. You may find you do a better job of remembering to write in

your journal when you make a commitment to yourself to write at a regular time each and every day.

Write Three to Five Things Every Day
This may feel impossible on those days when you think to yourself, "But I don't have anything significant

to write about!" Don't worry. You actually DO have much to be grateful for, and simply setting aside the

time and space for you to remember all the little things you love will get you started. Once you get

started with your gratitude journal and you see for yourself how much better your life becomes, you won't

want to stop!


On the Cover
As inspiring picture is nice…
Maybe a poem or affirmation…such as….

Today is the day we have waited for all our lives
On these pages I will share my thoughts
I will share my feelings
I will find a sense of peace
I will be grateful

This journal belongs to _________________________________



Some things in life were meant to be. Some things are guaranteed. But that does not mean that we should

not be grateful for those things all the same…..

Searching for things in your life for which to be grateful is not always easy - we all have days where we

think everything goes wrong. Reflecting upon things in your life that make you smile, give you peace or

instill a felling of joy - those little things that are so few times realized - should give you a sense

of gratitude.

It's the little things in life - the things we encounter each day - that are the hardest to see - and

that is what this journal is all about….If you look hard enough there will be so much you can write about

Some ideas for things to write in your Gratitude Journal

· Being alive
· Having dreams
· Tasty food
· Something nice someone said
· Children at play
· The assistance we receive from our friends
· Soft kittens and warm mittens
· Making it through each hour, each day
· Butterflies and freedom
· The peace and quiet of sleeping children
· Seeing the trees wave in the wind
· Being able to read
· Having a friend to phone
· A sunny day
· Being able to feel love, even when it hurts.
· Seeing the first flower of spring
· Thoughts on your Family
· Thoughts on your friends
· A hot drink on a cold winter's day
· A Friend who phones even when you have not phoned them for a while
· Stars
· Friends to share happiness and laughter with, as well as sadness and pain
· An act of kindness
· Cool clear water
· Feeling that, no matter what, there is someone out there looking after you.
· A favourite colour and the ability to see it
· Knowing just one person in this great, big universe understands.
· Beauty in Nature
· Straws with those twisty things in the centre. :-)


The nice thing about this exercise is that younger family members can write one word answers such as, "I

am grateful for birds, my children, orange juice, sunshine". As children become more confident with their

writing, they will begin to write longer descriptions of what they are grateful for.
Some people want to draw pictures, or paste pictures and photographs into their Gratitude Journals. You

can do that too.

At first it is normal to write about simple, immediate and tangible things. This leads to writing about

ourselves, our families, our innermost thoughts, about our communities and the world around us. "I am

grateful for places that believe in peace. I don't want there to be any more wars." I am glad I live in a

community that does not feel so much hatred." I'm glad my husband and I settled our disagreement."
The Gratitude Journal works. You would be amazed by what it teaches you and how much more comfortable you

feel with life-just the way it is. People who belong to organized groups and discuss gratitude journals

express the same sentiments. Their attitudes have been more positive, they are able to find the good in

tough situations, and they are more aware of what makes them happy.

There is a good book by Sarah Breathnach called Simple Abundance, which describes the benefits of keeping

a Gratitude Journal. Breathnach states that a Gratitude Journal could "change the quality of your life

beyond belief."
Breathnach says, "As the months pass and you fill your journal with blessings, an inner shift in your

reality will occur. Soon you will be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. As

you focus on the abundance rather than on the lack in your life, you will be designing a wonderful new

blueprint for the future. This sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work, transforming your dreams into

reality."

One of the most rewarding things about a gratitude journal is re-reading it on a bad day, doubt and fear

seem to flee like mists before the suns rays and you are immediately filled with hope and a desire to try

harder. There are sometimes repetitions in a Gratitude journal, not because you forgot you had already

written things down, but because you truly are grateful for the "dryer", "children" or "partner".

If you have never started one or know where to begin, NOW is the time to do so. This is a powerful tool

in changing your thoughts and also in generating more Light Energy around you.

Each morning as you arise, give thanks for the day. Rather than grumbling about all you have to do or

complaining in your mind, STOP. Wake with a smile on your face and rejoice that you have the day. Change

your perception. Give thanks for the roof over your head, your cozy bed, or the birds singing outside. Be

thankful you can get out of bed. Be thankful you have a job. Be thankful for a glorious sunrise or the

first flower you see. There is so much to be thankful for -- by beginning and ending your day with

gratitude, you will begin to recognize all that you do have! Try to create time, and write them down

daily.pull out your journal, get "comfy", and write 3-5 gratitudes for each day. Set the mood! Light some

candles, make some hot tea, and cuddle in some soft pillows or wrapped in a fluffy robe. Be thankful for

these gifts! and then settle down to reflect on all the gifts Mother Earth provided for you that you

might not have recognized, before you started your Gratitudes!!
As you do so, you will begin to know how Abundant and Loved you truly are! Celebrate this new

understanding each and every day. This is a form of affirmation that keeps you growing into a more

prosperous and joy-filled being.
If you miss a day, don't grumble about how busy you are. Just pick it up and seize the moment you do

have! In time, it will become easier to do. You will come to recognize all the "gifts" given to you

throughout your day. You will find yourself saying "thank you" more often. Open your hearts and minds to

ALL the Good that is waiting for you! And enjoy the Glory that is yours, now and forever.

I believe that everyone should keep a Gratitude Journal, none of us a truly grateful enough, I think that

we can all use an awakening to how much we really have.








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