When life presents certain opportunities it is important to seize them, no matter how scary. You'll thank yourself later.
On my journey of moving and living abroad in New Zealand I have set an intention to practice gratitude: in my relationship, with my friends & family and to myself. It's important to recognize others and yourself when things are going your way and even when they are not.
I started a simple journal, inspired by bullet journaling. I like this form because it's very simple and easy. There's no big commitment to write some long in-depth post. Instead, I set goals and intentions, write down memories, and track progress. The pages are blank and allow me to take the journal anyway I choose, calendars, lists, doodles and journal entries.
I have a page dedicated to practicing gratitude for the month. My goal is to write one quick sentence or blurb about something I am grateful for or thankful for per day. It's been a two months since starting this and I'm thankful I did.
I will share just a few with you:
Thankful for delicious food shared by new friends.
Thankful for the ability to walk 8 miles yesterday and time spent with S.
Grateful for public transportation to be able to get to Mt. Eden and to get around without a car.
Thank you Mom for the raincoat, which I used today and yesterday.
Excited about new clothes, thankful for a little self splurge
These sentences no matter how small allow me to take pause in my day and reflect on kindness or friendship.
My blog, sightseeingearth.com will allow me to look back on my trip here as a whole, but this small journal will allow me to look back on specific memories that would otherwise get lost in the chaos.
"People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems."
-Derrick Carpenter, MAPP
I have recently been working on putting positivity out there in hopes that's what I receive back instead of the opposite. How should we expect others to respond to negativity? This is not something I have mastered, or even come close. But it is my hope that with practice I will become better at it everyday.
I am grateful for your support in this challenging, transient, time in my life. I'm working on not missing a thing.
Please share with me how you practice gratitude in your daily lives.
