I am someone who likes to look for moments in my day to be grateful for. So much so, that every day for the past five years I have found these moments and every night for the past five years I have recorded them in a ‘Gratitude Journal’.
I started gratitude journaling in 2012. At that time I found myself in a place where I was feeling overwhelmed. I had moved to the city, I was in a job I wasn’t enjoying and I had the responsibility of my two nieces who were at school. It was overwhelming and everything was starting to get to me.
I did not want to drown in negative thoughts so decided that writing moments of gratitude on a daily basis would be the perfect way to reframe my thinking.
I had learnt of the practice of keeping a gratitude journal from my biggest inspiration, Oprah Winfrey. On her
I loved that line and I loved the idea of keeping a gratitude journal. I decided to set myself a target for 1000 days straight and off I went in search of things in my day to be grateful for.
In July 2015, I had reached my goal of 1000 days straight being grateful. Once I had reached my goal I decided to aim for 10 years straight. I figured if Oprah could do it, then I could do it.
In a beautiful twist of fate, in the same year that I completed my 1000-day goal and set my new 10-year goal, Oprah happened to come to Brisbane on a speaking tour.
Oprah heard that I had completed a gratitude journal for 1000 days straight and during her
It was both a surreal and magical moment to be able to have a conversation about gratitude journals with the very woman who had originally inspired me to start them.
Since I began the practice of gratitude in 2012, I have made my way through nine journals and am now more than halfway through the goal of 10 years straight.
Most days I record small things, repetitive things, some would even say mundane things, but they are all things which I find myself feeling grateful for.
At a deeper
I have no doubt that the practice of gratitude has changed me at a cellular level as I truly find myself always living in an ‘attitude of gratitude’.
Anna Dwyer is a Senior Sergeant in the Queensland Police Service. Her role has taken her all over Queensland, working in remote and vulnerable communities like Cape York, and tourist meccas such as Cairns, Airlie Beach and the Sunshine Coast. She now resides in Brisbane where she serves as a Senior Integrity Officer in the Ethical Standards Command.
Anna has been keeping a Gratitude Journal since 2012.
On the 25th of March 2018 I reached my “2000 days of gratitude” milestone, in essence, every day for more than five years I had found things in my day to be grateful for and I have written those moments down. When people find out that I have kept gratitude journals for over five years they will often ask me to share with them some tips about starting a journal. I often share these five things that I believe one should keep in mind when starting a gratitude journal.
Recently I watched a commencement speech given by Admiral William H. McRaven, a retired U.S Navy Seal, in 2014 to the graduating class at the University of Texas. I was so intrigued listening to his speech which recounted 10 lessons he learned from his 6 months of gruelling, demanding, tiring and debilitating Navy Seal training. These 10 lessons not only apply to life as a Navy Seal, but it equally applies to the challenges that each and every one of us endure as human beings living in an uncertain world.
Only a few days ago the whole world welcomed the new year and a new chapter in our lives begun.
As we are still in the early stages of 2018, it’s always refreshing to take a moment out of the busyness to reflect on the year that was and how far we have come. I reflect on what I’m grateful for and appreciate what I’ve been able to experience thus far. I also like to ponder how many more years I have left and what I want to do in that time, along with the aspects of my life I want to change.
Reflection can be a revitalising experience, it can help you refocus, take stock and open your mind up to new direction and opportunities. Sometimes though, a moment of reflection can be a painful task, bringing up memories and decisions we would rather forget, but cannot shake off.
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Comments (3):
Changing our attitude to gratitude is the most powerful thing we can do.
Great read, thanks you
Sugarloaf - January 8, 2018
I love your attitude of gratitude!
Rosie
rmmrosiem - December 19, 2017
Anna, a wonderful article and an incredibly good reminder of keeping things in perspective.
claremary - December 18, 2017