Sunday, October 7, 2007

Just try it-it works!!!.



A few years ago when I was in dire need of some encouragement, positivity etc. You know, those downhill cycles where nothing is going right, and you feel completely at the end of your tether. I tried wracking my brains for ways that I could help myself, and then one day the perfect solution just fell into my lap. Now you may be one of these people who believes I was just lucky this solution fell into my lap. However, I am a great believer in the Universe and it’s synchronicity. So for me it really was like a message from “above” and I felt I must give this ago.

So what fell into my proverbial lap? It was a magazine article by Oprah talking about how for decades now she has been writing in a Gratitude Journal. Now, if there is one woman I really admire, then she is it. So how could I ignore this artcicle? What she wrote about seemed like a fantastic idea. Every night before she goes to bed, she writes down in a journal everything she is grateful for that day……nothing else. It is not a journal to write down your thoughts, the days events or fears and emotions. It’s simply only for gratitude.

So of course, I bought myself a really lush journal (because I feel if it looks and feels beautiful, I will want to write in it). And I started writing each night before going to bed, the things I was grateful for that day. I am ashamed to say that at the beginning, when I started this 3 years ago, I was struggling to fill one page. Why? Because I was looking for all the BIG things that happened, which is the totally wrong way to go about this exercise. However, over time I started to thank the Universe for very simple things such as fresh water every day, a beautiful sunset that I might have seen, a wonderful lunch out with my husband, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach etc etc. It was only when I was writing about the simple things that I started to feel incredible; really uplifted and positive. Of course, when you are focusing all your energy on the positive things in your life, and not the negative as we are more prone to do, your positive energy and enthusiasm automatically increases, and then what happens? You start to attract more of the same happy and positive situations, which in turn creates more of the same happy and positive feelings……..(can you see where this is going?) The best thing is you constantly have to search for new things you are grateful for. You can only write down “family, health etc” for so many days.

So my friends try it. I defy anyone to not feel different after doing this exercise for as little as 1 week. I would also love to hear how your perception of “your” world started to change as your positive energy increased.

Happy journaling!!!!

3 comments:

holly said...

this is so weird because i was thinking this in the car on the way home today - then i came home and forgot, oops. so i guess my first gratitude item is 'i'm thankful that vanessa reminded me to write out my gratitude.'

Vanessa said...

There's obviously something "telepathic" going on between us Holly!!!

holly said...

yay! i think i like being connected to you! :)

the journalling is so great. i think last night i referred to the pray-rain journal, but i'll have to go back and add that you had the gratitude journal on your site. the journalling is gold dust, imo.

honestly, i'm going to have to do this earlier in the evening, when i have more of a brain.

OR i should just re-adjust my beliefs : i am still fresh as (something very fresh) after 11 pm.