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Gratefulness

I'm not sure where I saw it but several years ago I read an  article about making a list of 5 things to be grateful for each day.  This was supposed to improve my mood and lead to happiness.

It only made sense. If something bad happens you'll know it.  It will grab your attention like a headache.  The things we should be grateful for can easily be ignored.  That's why an effort to be grateful is important for happiness.

For the longest time I've been doing this and it has helped.  I take an index card and list 5 things I'm grateful for each day until the end of the week.  Then I read over the list and discard the index card.  This encourages me to look for the good things in life each day.

However, lately I find myself putting down the same things over and over.  It becomes a routine, just another chore at the end of the day.  If I can't find anything to put down I skip it until the next day.  The feeling of gratitude has faded away.  I need a way to make my gratitude more meaningful.

I surfed the web looking for an answer:

One psychologist says he found that people are happiest when they show gratitude for only 3 things, once a week.  I wonder how he decided on this number.

Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California instructed people to keep a journal listing 5 things for which they felt grateful, like a friend’s generosity, something they’d learned, a sunset they’d enjoyed once a week.

Another site recommended 5 or 10 things a day and to save it in a journal.  The author wrote 17 composition books in three years!  Seems like a waste to me. I'd rather have fresh things to be grateful for, not read about what pleased me two years ago.
I can see saving the most important things in a list but not 17 books!

Maybe 5 things a day on an index card is too much for me.  I'm going to try a simple list of 3 things a day, then look over the list at the end of the week and save the best of the best on my PC.  Hopefully, this will bring back the meaningfulness of keeping track of what I'm grateful for.

3 per day on an index card
Review it at the end of the week
Copy the best.

~I'll try whatever works for me.



Comments

  1. Eine gute Idee, ich fange dann mal mit 1 solchen Ding an...

    Servus
    CL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you like it.
      Have a good weekend.

      Ich bin froh, es Ihnen gefällt.
      Haben ein gutes Wochenende.

      Delete
  2. Hello John!
    Thanks for the article is very interesting!
    A nice weekend as you want!
    You wait and another time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dragă Elena,
      Va multumim pentru site-ul în urma mea.
      ~John

      Delete
  3. Thank you for mind which we often forget...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Salma,
    Thank you.
    I'm glad you follow my blog on yours
    John

    Mielas Salma,
    Ačiū.
    Džiaugiuosi, jums sekti mano dienoraštį jūsų
    Jonas

    ReplyDelete
  5. John, como sempre com seus textos interessantes!
    Abraço forte amigo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Milton,
    Thank you for your kind words. I'm happy you like my blog.

    Caro Milton,
    Obrigado pelas suas amáveis ​​palavras.
    Estou feliz que você gosta do meu blog.
    amigo
    John

    ReplyDelete
  7. yo también he intentado por períodos hacer este tipo de ejercicios, pero siempre he sido poco perseverante.Intuyo que si lo hubiese convertido en hábito ayuda a ver las cosas buenas que a veces nos pasan desapercibidas. De todos modos, está bueno intentarlo.A mí siempre me gusta intentar cosas nuevas.Un abrazo grande.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm a great one for short-lived, bright ideas that fade after days or weeks, or if I'm lucky, months. I think for me, just making time daily to sit and reflect - I'd say mull, but this is your website, not mine :) - on the things that are important to me. Sometimes, if you're a melancholic like me - finding the joy can be harder, but it is always there somewhere.

    ReplyDelete

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