Gratitude Journaling - 21-day challenge - 1 of 4

Hello, friends,

Welcome to another edition of Unbound Gratitude’s gratitude journaling.

Thank you so much for responding to our Journaling Waitlist. Your feedback is incredibly valuable.

One common theme throughout your feedback is how many of you strive for greater consistency in your gratitude journaling.

To help you with this, we've created a 21-day gratitude journaling challenge to build a regular habit while focusing on a single versatile prompt you create for yourself.

Our main task for this week is to create a versatile prompt. We will use this prompt to focus our gratitude journaling efforts over the 21 days starting on 13 May.

Preparing for the 21-Day Challenge

1. What is a versatile prompt?

A versatile prompt in gratitude journaling serves as a focused yet flexible foundation for your daily entries, needed for maintaining consistency throughout the 21-day challenge. This prompt is designed to align with your personal goals and values, offering enough breadth to allow for varied daily reflections while keeping you engaged with the theme you have chosen.

Whether you aim to enhance mindfulness, express creativity, or foster self-improvement, a well-crafted prompt should be simple, open-ended, and meaningful, encouraging deep exploration and reflection.

By carefully selecting and framing your prompt, you ensure it remains relevant and enriching, which helps build a habit that supports the consistency we seek.

In essence, the prompt needs to be open-ended, allowing you to journal through multiple days from different angles.

2. Creating Your Prompt:

Select a versatile prompt that aligns with your goal. It could be a general question like "What am I grateful for today?" or "How did I nurture my relationships today?" The key is to pick a prompt that allows for daily exploration.

Be sure to try including the word” today” in your prompt so it keeps us focused on the present.

Here are some examples:

1. Self-Improvement: Focus on actions or habits contributing to personal growth or self-betterment.

   • Example prompt: "What did I do today to improve myself?"

2. Relationships: Explore the positive aspects of relationships with friends, family, or partners.

   • Example prompt: "How did I nurture my relationships today?"

3. Mindfulness: Center on being present and aware of daily experiences.

   • Example prompt: "What moment today made me feel peaceful?"

4. Health and Wellness: Reflect on activities or choices that enhance physical or mental health.

   • Example prompt: "What did I do today to care for my health?"

5. Gratitude: Focus on recognising and appreciating the positive aspects of life.

   • Example prompt: "What am I grateful for today?"

6. Creativity: Highlight creative endeavours or moments of inspiration.

   • Example prompt: "How did I express my creativity today?"

7.  Learning and Growth: Focus on new knowledge or skills acquired or personal development.

   • Example prompt: "What did I learn today?"

8. Acts of Kindness: Reflect on acts of kindness towards oneself or others.

   • Example prompt: "How did I practice kindness today?"

9. Achievements: Celebrate daily accomplishments, big or small.

   • Example prompt: "What achievement am I proud of today?"

10. Simple Pleasures: Center on small joys or delightful moments in daily life.

    • Example prompt: "What simple pleasure did I enjoy today?"

Gratitude Gem

Conversation Corner

'Hey Jill, I'm excited about the upcoming 21-day gratitude challenge, but I’m not quite sure how to come up with a versatile prompt. Do you have any tips?' Jack said, sitting on the park bench.

Jill closed her journal. 'Absolutely, Jack. The key is to choose a prompt that’s broad enough to explore different angles each day but still ties back to your personal goal. For instance, you could use something like "What made me smile today?" It’s simple but opens up a lot of possibilities.'

Jack thought for a second, then said. ‘That sounds doable. I want to focus on mindfulness, so maybe I could ask, "What moment today brought me peace?"'

'That’s a perfect example!' Jill said, smiling. 'It allows you to reflect on different peaceful moments each day, whether it’s a morning coffee, a quiet walk, or just taking a few deep breaths during a break.'

Jack nodded, then frowned slightly. 'I like that, but… I’m a bit worried about using the same prompt for 21 days. Won’t it get repetitive?'

‘That’s where the beauty of a versatile prompt comes in, Jack. By choosing something open-ended, each day brings unique experiences, so your responses will naturally vary. It’s not just about the prompt but how you connect it to different aspects of your day. This variety is what keeps your journaling fresh and engaging.'

Jack smiled. 'I see what you mean. It’s about finding the new in the everyday. I guess there’s always something different to notice, even in routine.'

'Exactly!' Jill said, nodding. 'And by the end of the challenge, you’ll likely find yourself more attuned to these moments as you anticipate what you’ll journal about each day. It’s a great way to deepen your mindfulness and appreciate the nuances of daily life.'

'This is going to make journaling something I look forward to,' Jack said, spreading his hands and grinning. 'I feel ready to dive in and start crafting my prompt now.'

'You're welcome, Jack. Happy journaling, and remember, this is just the beginning. There's much more to come!' Jill said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Next steps

Next Sunday's newsletter will include links to download our 21-day PDF checklist, which you can use to track your daily gratitude journaling progress. We recommend keeping the checklist visible—like magnetised on your fridge or pinned up in your office—to serve as a daily reminder to journal.

We're creating the PDF in both A4 and A5 sizes, so you can also choose to keep it neatly in your journal if you prefer.

Our 21-day challenge will kick off on May 13th. The May 12th newsletter will provide more details.

I will share my versatile prompt and join you personally on the 21-day challenge. I will also share my checklist and, if appropriate, some of my gratitude journaling entries.

We are looking forward to all of your feedback over the next four weeks, so please do not hesitate to get in touch and tell us how you are doing.

Daily Prompts and Affirmations

Here is a link to this week’s journaling prompts and affirmations.

If you would like to join the daily emails, click on the button below and choose ‘Yes’.

If you know of anyone who would enjoy these newsletters, please feel free to share it with them using the button below.

Thank you, and have a wonderful week.