Gratitude Journaling - Cherishing Your Smiles

Hello, friends,

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter Break. Here in the UK, the clocks moved forward by an hour, giving us a bit more sunlight in the afternoons. We can only hope the rain subsides for a little bit. It has felt never-ending!

Today, we are going to talk about two things: a recap of our first five weeks of journaling and our first step towards gratitude journaling.

A journaling recap

Over the last five weeks, we have concentrated on journaling. Here is a high-level recap of the five journaling newsletters we sent out.

1. A journaling routine
   We started the campaign not with an introduction and our first post but by recognising our routine and how important it is to find a few minutes to journal daily.

2. An introduction and our first post
   In this newsletter, our core message is to be kind to yourself. Just as a potter, baker, or carpenter has to learn their trade, so do we need to learn how to journal. Start small and slow, and enjoy the journey of discovery.

3. The endless silence
   In part three, we touched on how journaling seems like a one-way street, but it isn’t, as we find it plants seeds and gives permission to our subconscious to work tirelessly to find a solution for us.

4. Writing Freely
   In this newsletter, we talk about how drafting is a great way to journal. We try not to tie ourselves down with grammar, spelling, punctuation and, most importantly, self-censorship. We try to write freely without the worry of criticism.

5. Journaling Tools
   In the final newsletter, we talk about analog and digital journaling tools and how they need to offer the least resistance and how they must fit into your journaling style.

Here is a link to the articles.

The First Step to Gratitude - Cherishing Your Smiles

We aim to introduce gratitude into our journaling at a manageable pace. You will find the same thought process in our free, downloadable, fillable gratitude journal PDF. In the PDF, we purposefully start with Embracing Minor Gratitude Goals so we can start small. Here is the link.

Gratitude is a powerful force that affects us all.

It is, however, difficult to define.

 “Gratitude has been conceptualised as an emotion, a virtue, a moral sentiment, a motive, a coping response, a skill, and an attitude. It is all of these and more,” write Robert Emmons and Cheryl Crumpler (Gratitude as a Human Strength: Appraising the Evidence yr 2000)

As you can see, Gratitude has such a wide meaning that it can be overwhelming.

Today, to combat this feeling, we are going to ask you not to focus on gratitude but on a subject that really makes you smile.

The subject can be someone you know, a pet, a plant you have nurtured, a time of day (sunrise, sunset), a job, or a hobby.

Choose that one thing that brings an involuntary smile, no matter the situation, and write about it in your journal. Identifying that subject and writing about it will automatically form an underlying feeling of happiness and well-being.

It’s about awareness, identifying the moments that bring you the most value, and cherishing the times that make you really, really smile.

Happy Journaling!

Gratitude Gem

Conversation Corner

Jack was sitting on the bench, flipping through his journal, filled with various sketches and notes, when Jill joined him.

‘Hey, Jack,’ Jill said, ‘our last talk got me thinking. We've been so focused on the tools of journaling, but what about the essence? Like, what's the first real step to embracing gratitude?’

Jack looked thoughtful and closed his journal. ‘You know, I've been pondering that too. It's not about listing things we're grateful for. It's simpler. It’s about noticing that one thing that always, almost magically, brings a smile to our faces.’

‘I agree,’ Jill said, her gaze drifting into the distance. ‘It's like finding that one source of pure joy. For me, it's the early morning walks in the park. There's something about the crisp air and the quiet that always makes me smile. I don't have to think about it; it just happens.’

‘For me,’ Jack said, ‘it's sketching. Whether it's a tree, a busy street, or just random patterns, the act itself brings me an unexplainable joy. It's not just about capturing the scene; it's the feeling of the pen moving on paper that really gets to me.’

‘It's fascinating, isn't it? How these simple acts or moments carry so much weight in our hearts. They're like anchors, grounding us in happiness amidst everything else,’ Jill said.

‘Exactly,’ Jack said, nodding. ‘And reflecting on them, writing about them, isn't about the act of gratitude as much as it is about understanding and acknowledging these anchors in our lives.’

'So, the first step to gratitude is really about awareness,’ Jill said. ‘About identifying those involuntary smiles and recognising their value.’

‘Bingo,’ Jack said. ‘And once we're aware, journaling about these moments or things can deepen our appreciation for them. It's not just about the smiles they bring but understanding why they matter so much to us.’

‘That sounds like a journey worth documenting,’ Jill said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. ‘Focusing on these sparks of joy could really change how we view our days.’

‘Definitely,’ Jack said, opening his journal to a new page. ‘It's about cultivating an eye for joy, for those moments that make life vibrant. And our journals can be the perfect place to capture and celebrate them.’

‘Here's to finding and cherishing our smiles,’ Jill said, smiling.

‘And to documenting the journey, one smile at a time,’ Jack said.

Daily Prompts and Affirmations

Today, our first journaling prompt and affirmation was sent to everyone who subscribed to the daily email.

You may find our affirmations slightly different from those on gratitude websites and apps.

First, they relate to the journaling prompt, and second, they are more descriptive than usual. High-level, overarching affirmations are good, but we feel it’s easier to focus on gratitude when concentrating on something more natural and specific.

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

Next Week

Next week, we will explore why gratitude can trigger a negative emotion. It is important to tackle this negative emotion early on so we can understand how to acknowledge it and then move on to the positive aspect of gratitude.

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I hope you have a great easter and a lovely week. Here’s to our smiles.