Why You Should Start a Thankful Journal

I have been keeping a thankful/gratitude journal, off and on, since 2013 when my mom bought the book called "The Magic" written by the author of the famous book "The Secret." I did a post back when I first started, which you can check out here. Whether or not you believe in karma, "sending positivity out into the universe" and all that jazz, here is what I have learned from keeping one.

The concept is rather simple, I try to do this every morning when I wake up (or at least at some point in the day) I write down a list of 10 things I am thankful for, then reread what I wrote and say "thank you" in my head. I try to format it like, I am thankful for ____ because ____. For me, I don't mind repeating some things but I try to mix up the list rather than doing the same 10 things every day. It really makes you think and dig deep the longer you do this.

Here is an example from my Pinterest. You can find a lot of references, you can check out my writing board here.

You can do this however works best for you. I have a friend who only writes 3 items a day, but she challenges herself to not repeat things. I know when I do this I have gotten as far as "I am thankful for energy drinks for when I have early morning shifts." After a while you will figure out your own method.

That was the "what," here is the "why." I have noticed that during the periods of my life when I do keep up with my journal I am more positive and generally in a better mood. By starting your day out to take a few minutes and think of all the good things in your life, it really shifts your perspective.

Now, I personally feel like in some small way the more positive and happy you are, the more good things tend to happen. It's up to you if you want to believe this, but from my experience it does make life a bit brighter and easier to deal with even when life is starting to suck. I would suggest everyone give it a try, consistently for at least a month and see if it helps you.

In a world that can be full of constant bad news, stress, and unfortunate curve balls, it is good to bring a bit of the good back.

Have a great day you guys,
<3 Kimmie

Thanksgiving Summary

Hey all! I am sorry I haven't been updating recently, what with finals and essays galore I have barely had any time what so ever! I hope you all had amazing Thanksgiving breaks and yummy food comas!

For this Thanksgiving I was fortunate enough to get to go up to Nor Cal to spend Thanksgiving with my dad. The bus ride up to there was really long and boring (9 hours!!!) but the week itself was so much fun. They have 3 dogs: Saki, Mika and Max and they are so hyper and loving and always there to play with. And on top of that my dad's girlfriend's kids are really awesome and I got along great with them. (However, I didn't get to meet the two boys until the day after Thanksgiving because they were with their dad).

On Thanksgiving day we ate dinner rather early and had more of a Thanksgiving lunch so that way we could celebrate with my "somewhat step sister" before she went to Thanksgiving dinner with her boyfriend's family. We spent the rest of that day enjoying each other's company and watching funny movies and YouTube videos(and I was able to call Johnny that evening because he was back at home!)

But what most people forget is that Thanksgiving and Christmas are about more than eating a lot and getting presents. It is about being with those you love and being able to be thankful for everything around you. If you truly look at your life how thankful are you on a daily basis? Most don't want to admit that we really aren't that thankful. So especially around this time of year make sure to be super grateful for everything in your life because you always have to remember that their is someone out there who doesn't have what you do and could be wishing they did right this moment. So be thankful for everything you have and make sure to let your family know how much you love them because the Holidays only come once a year! Happy Holidays and big hugs from my computer screen to yours!

The Magic - Power of Gratitude

My mom bought this book by the lady who wrote The Secret, Rhonda Byrne. It is all about positivity and the power of gratitude. The description says:

"ONE WORD CHANGES EVERYTHING For more than twenty centuries, words within a sacred text have mystified, confused, and been misunderstood by almost all who read them. Only a very few people through history have realized that the words are a riddle, and that once you solve the riddle—once you uncover the mystery—a new world will appear before your eyes."

The book has thing you need to do daily to get yourself into this habit of gratitude. Each day the practices change and it evaluates another part of your life. But every morning you write ten things you are grateful for and why. Then as you read back over them after each one you say thank you three times. 

It is really interesting and a lot of the practices really make you think about how grateful you actually are during your daily life. I know you are probably thinking, well I say please and thank you and I am glad for what I have. But how thankful are you really? Do you even think about how good your health is until you catch a cold or what not? Do you think about how thankful you are for your senses, your job, all the little things you have that others are unable to? 

This book really makes you think and I recommend it to anyone. 

Thanksgiving Break!

As we all know, Thanksgiving is only two days away! It's so crazy that it came this fast! Honestly, I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's not commercialized like Christmas. I know I refuse to listen to Christmas music or watch the movies before Thanksgiving, it really makes me mad that this amazing holiday is always just brushed aside! It's just a day where you take the time to be with your loved ones and to truly be thankful for everything you have in your life. It's easy to criticize and complain that you don't have everything you want in life, but it is far more difficult to realize that you have so much more then you actually think and that you should be grateful for everything that you do have. Gratitude is the most powerful force on the planet, but it is not a power that everyone knows how to wield. So, my challenge for each and everyone of you is to write a list everyday of 10 things you are grateful for having and to say thank you for each of them. 

Well, all touchy feelly aside, I hope you all have an amazing holiday and enjoy eating a lot! Because I know I will!!!