This is Day 0 of the 14-Day Gratitude Challenge held in Aug 2013, where we practice gratitude for 14 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hey everyone, I’m so overwhelmed by your wonderful response to my announcement post for the Gratitude Challenge! It’s just been a day since I’ve posted it and we’ve almost 100 sign ups now!! *dances with joy with all of you*
While our challenge starts tomorrow (Aug 15), past challenge alumni like Jaleen, Netta, fufu, Calae, etc. would know that I love giving pre-work tasks so we will get the best out of these challenges. This upcoming gratitude challenge is no different! ;) As we prepare for 14 days of gratitude ahead, we need a vital tool to get us started. This tool is the…
Day 0: Gratitude Journal
A beautiful gratitude journal
What is a gratitude journal? It is a diary where you record all things you are grateful for. Most people use gratitude journals as a daily log, though you can use it as a weekly or periodic log as well. Gratitude journals are a great tool to direct our energy on the positive things in our lives and to keep away the negative thoughts.
Don’t let its simple premise fool you. Gratitude journals have been proven to dramatically change people’s lives for the better.
In an empirical study in 2003, people who used gratitude journals felt better and report fewer symptoms of illness (compared to those who didn’t). In another study in 2005 concerning gratitude (Seligman et. all., 2005), participants who kept a gratitude journal and recorded three things they were grateful for every day had higher happiness scores by the end of the experiment. In fact, their happiness scores continued to increase each time they were tested post-experiment!
It doesn’t end there. This exercise was so successful that although participants were only asked to journal for a week, many continued the practice long after the study was over!
Another example of a gratitude journal
There are ways you can start a gratitude journal. The simplest way is to grab an empty notebook in your drawer, write the words “My Gratitude Journal” on the cover, then declare this your gratitude journal from here on out. No thrills or frills but it gets the job done! The benefit of a physical book is you can bring your notebook wherever you go and take notes whenever you want to.
Another way–my favorite one–is to create a new document on Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, or Excel and title that as your gratitude journal. Save it on Dropbox (my favorite file storage tool) so you can access it on your PC, laptop, or mobile–anywhere in the world, basically as long as you have access to the internet. Environmentally friendly, easy formatting, and easy upkeeping.
(If you don’t have MS Word, Powerpoint, or Excel, Libre Office is a 100% free, almost-identical version of MS Office.)
Yet another way is… *drum roll* by creating an online blog!! WordPress and Blogger are excellent, free tools where you can create a personal blog for free. They are largely idiot-proof and have simple click-and-activate functions where anyone can create their own blog and use it as a personal, online diary.
Not only that, they also have free, ready-made templates to beautify your blog right away. Beats fiddling with craft work if that isn’t your thing! Elegant Themes (aff) is a great place to get extremely beautiful themes (86 of them) for a low cost of $39.
Some people take pride in personalizing their gratitude journal with beautiful decorations and drawings. I’ve seen some incredibly beautiful gratitude journals online. Here are some examples:
A beautiful gratitude journal, clad in the dominant color purple, by Vicki Arnold
A homemade gratitude journal by Wendy Copley
Another beautiful gratitude journal by Skye Harmony. This one is made of a composite of cards!
A highly artistic gratitude journal made by miscellaneaarts
Of course, your gratitude journal doesn’t need to be all snazzy if you happen not to have any artistic talent (like me). Just a simple notebook can suffice, like the one below. (Or, you can always “play cheat” and get a ready-made scrapbook at a local bookstore to use as your journal!) The point is to have a journal to record your thoughts and feelings on gratitude.
Your task today, before we kick off with our 14-day gratitude challenge proper tomorrow, is to create your gratitude journal!
Your Task: Create Your Gratitude Journal!
- Pick your desired format for your gratitude journal! You can either have a digital, soft-copy gratitude journal (in MS Word, Powerpoint, or Excel), an online blog journal, or a physical, hard copy one.
- Do some initial decorations for your gratitude journal as you await Day 1’s task tomorrow!
You can do some craft work like the gratitude journal examples I’ve shared above. You can write some gratitude quotes. You can jot down your initial reflections on gratitude as you embark on this challenge. If you prefer to keep it plain and simple for now, that’s an option too. :) You can also drop by your local bookstore to get a ready-made scrapbook for your journal. Simple and easy!
If yours is an online blog, pick up a nice template and customize your blog a bit. Do whatever works for you!
- After you are done, take a picture (or screenshot if yours is a soft copy) of your journal and share it in the comments section below! Share a picture even if your journal is plain and simple; that in itself makes a statement, trust me. ;) (The comments section has a built-in image upload function. Simply click the little image icon on the bottom left of the comment box.)
You will be using your gratitude journal for the next 14 days and for the weeks/months/years after the challenge ends, so create it with pride! During the 14 days, you will be jotting your daily task findings and reflections, as well as to record things you are grateful for. More on that tomorrow! :)
Share Your Results!
What format did you pick for your gratitude journal? What did you decorate your gratitude journal with? How does your gratitude journal look? Please share in the comments section below!
Once you’re done, proceed to Gratitude Challenge Day 1: Write 10 Things You are Grateful For.
(Images: Gratitude, Gratitude journal
)
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Hi Celes,
This is my Gratitude Journal – all ready for our challenge :)
Loving everyones beautiful notebooks – I especially like Andi-Roo’s pinterest page too – might have to borrow that idea myself !! Really looking forward to this challenge, so thank you, Celes.
Hi everybody, for me it´s easier to be creative on paper then on pc, so I chose hard copy :-)
The other reason is, that I´m instantly feeling glad and thankful when I see this on my desk!
It reminds me of (a lot of) my daily reasons to be grateful:
– sharing my life with my loving husband,
– having 2 wonderful, healthy and naughty boys,
– having easy access to both sea and nature (which is good for my soul),
– having plenty of healthy food (some of it in my own garden)
– caring friends
– and…that every day has a golden lining
http://donettas.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/my-gratitude-journey/
Hi Celes. I am so excited to be participating in another challenge. I’m honored you mentioned my name. I’ll be keeping track of each day in my blog at WordPress. I believe it has a good vibe to it. Looking forward to each day and thank you for the time you put into these challenges!!
Hopefully, I will successfully post my photo this time ;) I opted for the handwritten version because that makes me happy / grateful with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson because I really love his writings!
Here’s an image of the Gratitude Journal I am building on Pinterest. The board is called “Gratitude-ish Things” which makes me laugh and starts me off in the right mood. Hope you enjoy sifting through the images. I’m looking forward to getting started tomorrow! :)
Here is my journal! All ready to begin tomorrow.
My goodness!! This is gorgeous, Carli!! Did you make that yourself??
I did! Thank you for the lovely compliment!
my gratitude journal for day 0. i started this a few months back. i re-read some of the entries today and i am so happy with the way my life is shaping so far!
thanks celes, for starting this wonderful challenge! :)
Great to know that you are picking up the gratitude journal from a few months back!! Hope the challenge will get you back in the groove again, sunshinegirl!! :)) (As your nick suggests, always full of sunshine!!)
Tada! Been waiting to use this present.
Lovely!! Thanks for sharing, Lindsay! :) Let’s fill this book with awesomeness and gratitude in the next 14 days and ahead! :)
Been waiting to use this present!
I am using an app, Random gratitude on my itouch
Years ago I bought a collection of really cute notebooks. I have only one left unused and I wanted to use it on something special. This challenge looks like the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately I am not really into crafts so I will keep the notebook as it is, I don’t want to spoil it :-) And the cover of the notebook already features gifts of nature that I am grateful for :-)
Hi. I have chosen to use an exercise book as my gratitude journal. I have covered it with scrapbook papers that I had. I enjoy writing down things and expressing my creativity. I have a small quote on the front cover to keep and remind me of how I am feeling right now.
Just created a new notebook “Thank you” within my evernote account. Should enable me to write in it from my mobile, tablet or computer.
I am using a notebook
I’m lazy so this is all you guys are getting ;) I have decorated it with…randomness!
I’m not much a fan of physical things. Means I’d have one extra item to take every time I move. It’s only words anyway so on my computer is just fine :)
Using PowerPoint. Here’s a pic of the cover…. :-)
What a beautiful page! I love the cheerful backround you have chosen :) I’ll definately be following your posts. Have a great challenge :)
Hello Everybody! I created my journal in Power Point. I’m not good with modern technology and in PP I think it will be pretty easy to add photos to make my journal more vibrant. I saved it on Dropbox to have an easy acces. It looks pale comparing to what I see below but…well…I tried
.
No, I can’t. Half an hour and no photo. You have to trust me with my word, I have a Gratitude journal.
Hey Aldona, no one is doubting you on that! ;) What problem are you facing re: uploading though? Perhaps we can help.
I took a screen grab but I can’t put it in here.
Here is my mini purple bling-bling notebook :)
Oh wow, this is beautiful, Spešl!! Awesome work in doing up your gratitude journal! Now you are all set for the 14 days of gratitude ahead! :D
I’ll be participating! Posting on my tumblr blog. Here’s Day 0 attached.
Aw that is such a cute image, Sulthana! I love the gratitude quotes you have included too. Don’t be shy to post a link to your blog too, by the way, as long as it’s relevant to your comment/the day’s entry!
Ah okay, wasn’t sure if you’d mind. Will link, if relevant, in future :)
I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for a few months now and it’s a red&orange notebook, nothing too fancy. I write in it everyday something that I’m grateful for, something that truly makes me happy and fulfilled. Unfortunately, I do not own a camera to take a photo of it, but as I said, it’s a regular notebook. :) Can’t wait for the up-coming tasks!
I’m so glad to see another challenge on PE, Celes. At the time that I joined PE, it was through a challenge and thereby I hold them close to my heart :)
i love your idea. :)
Awww thank you – it’s kind of you to say so :)
Today I bought a mini blingbling purple notebook and decorate it a little bit, but I am not sure if I know how to upload an image…. I will try…
Hi guest! In the same comment box where you posted this comment, look at the bottom left corner. There is a tiny little icon, which upon clicking, will open up a pop up for you to select the image to upload. Hope that helps, and look forward to seeing your bling-bling notebook! :D
Sorry, thats me, somehow posting as Guest :) I clicked that icon in bottom left corner and also selected the image, but nothing happens than – image doesnt upload… Any other suggestions?
Hi Spešl, that’s probably the image taking its time to upload then! How big is your image?
If it still doesn’t work, try a different browser! I’m using Chrome and it works fine. :) Other participants have been uploading without problem too, so it might be a browser incompatibility issue!
Thanks, I just opened Chrome and will try again. Its 4 MB image
I’m grateful that my name appeared in Celes’s blog post!! Here I created my simple grateful journal. I love writing, although I do have my personal blog. I was struggling whether to consider creating a new blog for this challenge. In the end, I created this hard copy journal. ^^
The main reason I created this hard copy journal, is because I have not written by hand for quite some time. I miss my messy handwriting!! XD
In deed, it is a sketch book without lines in it. It’s easier for me to write and draw at the same time. I love drawing too~ ^^
It is very simple as I’m not good in designing. I added my typical watermark of the smiley face. I have that smiley face in every piece of my drawing, to show that I’m in a happy yet naughty mood while drawing. :P
Here it goes~
Hi Jaleen!! So great to see you here in the gratitude challenge! :D
Aw I love the smiley you’ve drawn! I love that you’ve added your trademark icon to your gratitude journal. It definitely personalizes your journal and gives it character! :)
Re: Dropbox: Oops, I think there might be a misinterpretation – I was actually referring to a private invite to create a Dropbox account, rather to get access to my Dropbox account. Haha. Let me know if you’re interested in the former, and I’ll send you an invite right away! :D (If you don’t already have a Dropbox account, that is!)
I really like this! I love the colors you’ve used! ^^ And the smiley is adorable!
Hi everyone – used a blog format – really looking forward to the challenge
http://bigorsmallgratefulforall.blogspot.co.uk x
Hi everyone – used a blog format – really looking forward to the challenge
http://bigorsmallgratefulforall.blogspot.co.uk x
I’ll be using my blog for this challenge, so I put in an intro post today.
Awesome Jen! Look forward to seeing your blog entry on the challenge! :D
Oh, I wrote a long post and managed to lose it. Another try then!
I wanted my journal to be something child-like because I want it to remind me to play with myself more ( a goal I’ve been working on lately). I took a notebook and covered it with golden wrapping paper, cut and glued a butterfly on it and then started to play with my childs’ crayons.
We have just moved to my mums as our home has a big renovation going on. We have one room for our family of three. Before the renovation is done, we will be moving to India to live and work five months in a childrens’ home. So we have a lot of changes going on. I can’t figure out a better time for focusing my energy to gratitude. Can’t wait for tomorrows task :)
Thank you Celes for this challenge!
Wow, beautiful, Annamarika!! You have showed that it’s possible to make something beautiful with a minimalistic design! Great job!
I would like to personally thank you for being a part of this challenge! Look forward to your participation in the next 14 days! :D
(PS: Sounds exciting that you guys will be moving to India to live/work for so long! I wish you all the best in the upcoming journey. Indeed–this gratitude challenge is a great way to focus on the positive things in life as you prepare for the next phase ahead!)
Thank you so much Celes! I actually used to have lots of crafting material before but decided to give it all away before the big move. Mums’ wrapping papers was all I had :)
(Indeed it’s exciting – and a huge dream-come-true for me and my husband :) Thank you for the wishes!)
Hi Celes, I created my Gratitude Journal in a soft copy format, using a word processor software in my iPad called “Pages”. In the cover page, I put a quote from the Quran. I want to start from the basis of my faith, the Muslim holy book. The first page contains some benefits gained by gratitude acts based on research. It’s partly to keep me motivated to keep up with this challenge.
Wow, that looks awesome! The picture you chose is beautiful as well! =)
Amazing! I created mine in excel in my “life handbook”. I think it is good to keep it there. You inspired me to put some quotes from the Quran as well. Nice! waiting for day 1.
Awesome job to create your gratitude journal in your life handbook! For those who don’t know about the life handbook, read all about it here: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/life-handbook/
That’s lovely, Melita! You using the “Pages” software gave me inspiration that we can actually use blogs as our gratitude journals as well. (Have included it as an option to the participants in today’s entry.) I love that you used a Quran quote which symbolizes your faith in Islam. Please continue sharing your entries as we proceed with the challenge!
Beautiful! I love the idea of reminding yourself of your spiritual path.
Melita, you are so talented! The picture is fabulous and I love your smile.
Hi everyone thank you so much for your kind comments and support! Looking fwd to do this challenge with all of you together :) Hope this works out superbly
I feel honored to receive a mention here! <3
So, I've used gratitude journals with mixed success in the past. It seems I can stick to it for a while, but it's a hard habit for me to keep. All it takes is a day or two of forgetting to do it, and the habit is gone. =( Really hoping that this time around, I can make it stick for good!
Also, I LOVE the idea of having a beautiful physical journal, and maybe in the future I'll make one. But for now, I'm going with a soft copy!
I created a new note in my Life Handbook notebook in Evernote to serve as my gratitude journal. This way I have access any time I'm either at a computer, or on my phone (even if I lack internet access, it will still sync later when I get it again!). I like this for a few reasons:
1) I have my phone with me almost all the time, so there's very little chance I can't access my gratitude journal to write in it. =)
2) It's usable with or without internet but still syncs with my Evernote account (which has the rest of my Life Handbook, too!)
3) If it's dark in my room, I don't need to scramble to get a light to write things down.
4) It's discrete – I wouldn't be too bothered by someone seeing that I have a gratitude journal, but I can write in it without anyone knowing what I'm doing if I'd like!
I've included a screen cap of my Gratitude Journal note. =) I've started it off with a pretty font, one of my favorite quotes, and the mock-up of how I'd like to organize my gratitude journal. The sentences after the numbered list are a mock-up for how I've done my gratitude journals in the past, where I write things to be grateful for in the morning, and at night I record what the best parts of my day were.
Sorry this is a long ramble! Gratitude is one of my most important values (I tend to group it with "love"), so I'm very excited for this challenge as I hope to really bring my gratitude to the next level!
Hi Calae, I love the Albert Einstein quote you use!
Thanks, Melita! It’s one of my favorites and something I really try to keep in mind all the time, because I think if you really go about life with that mindset (that everything is a miracle), it does wonders to how you feel and what you do!
I love the quote too! There is a quote image version of this quote on PE actually, for those of you who are interested: https://personalexcellence.co/quotes/185
For those of you looking for more Albert Einstein quotes, check them out at the PE inspirational quotes section: https://personalexcellence.co/quotes/tag/albert-einstein
Hi Calae, thanks so much for sharing your journal!! :D That’s great that you have created gratitude journals before–that means the concept isn’t new to you and it would be easier than ever to keep the habit now if you really want to! Why do you think that it was hard for you to keep the habit in the past though?
You mentioned: “I wouldn’t be too bothered by someone seeing that I have a gratitude journal, but I can write in it without anyone knowing what I’m doing if I’d like!” Are you saying that it’s possible to enable public access for what you do on EverNote? I have an EN account but I don’t use it anymore, so I’m not too familiar with how it operates now!
Hi Celes! I think it was hard for me merely because I didn’t prioritize it — if I woke up late, I wouldn’t take the couple of minutes to write things down, and if I were super tired when I went to bed, I couldn’t be bothered thinking about/writing down the best parts of my day. -Occasionally- I would genuinely not have a chance: if I’m staying over at a friend’s place, for example, I might not be able to use my phone for a few minutes straight without seeming rude. This is rare, but it does happen!
To answer your second question: I was actually referring to the fact that a soft copy is discrete versus a hard copy that someone might see sitting on my desk or something (sorry for the incoherent rambling on my part!). But yes, it’s actually possible to create public access to one of your notebooks in Evernote if you’d like — or just invite a few people to have access. If you’re a premium user, you can even allow individuals to modify that notebook as well.
I’m not a premium user, and I doubt I’d ever share anything in my notebooks publicly, but it’s still a nice feature!
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