Gratitude Invites Joy Into Our Lives
Brené Brown, the author of The Gifts of Imperfection, says:
The relationship between joy and gratitude was one of the important things I found in my research. I wasn’t expecting it. In my 12 years of research on 11,000 pieces of data, I did not interview one person who had described themselves as joyful, who also did not actively practice gratitude.
A key part of this statement is that gratitude is an active practice. That means real action that you regularly repeat. One of the most effective ways to practice gratitude is a gratitude journal.
In James Clear’s Atomic Habits he makes a clear distinction between “being in motion” and “taking action.”
When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome. Focus on taking action, not being in motion.
So searching the internet for the perfect gratitude journal would be an example of motion. Whereas writing three journal entries a week would be an example of action.
The Simplest Gratitude Journal
Once again the best gratitude journal is going to be the one you use.
We can apply principles from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits to ensure the practice of gratitude becomes a habit of action instead of just a motion.
Make it Obvious
One principle from Atomic Habits is “Make it obvious.” I purchased a calendar and placed it in a highly visible place I walk by several times throughout the day - right next to the bathroom.
Make it Easy
Another principle from Atomic Habits is “Make it Easy.”
I’ve already identified some of my simple joys in life such as walking, bike rides, food, and seeing live music. Each of these can be represented by a single letter:
- W for Walking
- B for Bike Ride
- F for Food
- M for Music
So instead of feeling overwhelmed trying to write a complete journal entry, I can simply write a single letter with a Sharpie marker. If I want to add a little more detail I can, but it isn’t required. Furthermore, in the spirit of “Make it Easy” the Sharpie marker and pen permanently live right below the calendar.
Make it Satisfying
A third principle from Atomic Habits is “Make it Satisfying.”
Because the calendar show several days and weeks of entries at a time, I see that I frequently get to do things I truly enjoy! It is very satisfying to recognize that fact 🙏.