The Gratitude Project

I’m Trying a New New Year’s Goal for 2012
This year for the New Year I thought I’d do something a little different rather than the traditional goal-setting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge believer is setting goals. Only by writing things down do we truly make them actionable. I have lots of goals written down…many I intend to accomplish before the end of the year. For 2012 I wanted to focus not on goals, but on the good things in my life, of all the things I am grateful for. Hence, I started on New Years Day with the goal of writing down 2012 Gratitudes. I’m calling it the Gratitude Project.

As the days of 2012 go by, I want to cut through all the craziness of daily living and remember the things that are important and that make life wonderful. I’ll be jotting down five or six things I’m grateful for every day. As with all goals, things aren’t so difficult when you break things into smaller more achievable tasks.

Research suggests that cultivating gratefulness is good for you. It increases your satisfaction, vitality, happiness, self-esteem, optimism, hope, empathy, and willingness to help others. For just a few minutes every day, you can change the way you think about your life and the world around you. Here’s my list of gratitudes for today:

I’m grateful for…

1. Starting to get a little more balance by focusing on the moment
2. Making progress on eating more vegetables with every meal
3. The sound of a baby’s laughter
4. Sunshine on the mountaintops
5. Gentlemen who still hold the door open for a lady

What about you? Would it help you to shift your focus from the day-to-day madness and concentrate on what’s important? What are you grateful for today?

4 Responses to The Gratitude Project

  1. I love that you have begun a gratitude project.
    I journal my gratitudes at bedtime so that my mind is clear of the days activities and I can drift off to sleep with a heart focused on the good in my life. Every day I am grateful I am blessed with good friends, family, good health and my loving puppy (now 8.)
    Blessings to you, Jerri
    Lulu

    • In his book The Last Lecture, the late Randy Pautsch wrote that brick walls are not there to stop you, they are there to make you prove how much you want something.If you were to ask 100 very scecussful people for the secret of their success, most of them (maybe even all of them) will say some variation of this: I didn’t quit when things really got tough, and I didn’t quit when everyone else thought I was a failure.There are many words for it: perseverance, determination, stamina, sticktoitiveness, but whatever you call it, this much is sure: if you are going to be scecussful at achieving your goals, you’re going to need it.This much else is sure: there is no determination gene. It is a skill you cultivate, and it is a decision you make every day.

  2. Hi, Gerri! I’ve been meaning to swing by your website and blog ever since you presented to GSRWA way back at the beginning of the year! I’m so glad I finally did. The site is gorgeous and reflects both you and your books perfectly. I love it!

    On the blog post – I think practicing daily gratitude is so important. I don’t tend to write mine down, only because as soon as I tell myself I have to write something down every day, I immediately find all sorts of ways to keep myself from doing it, LOL (trying to overcome that with the fiction writing!), but I do remember most nights to spend a few minutes just thinking about all the wonderful people and blessings in my life. Thanks for this awesome reminder!

    • I love this experiment !!! I just laeenrd of it today. The funny thing is, about 3 years ago, the idea of doing gratitude pages came to me and at that time I did them daily and truly felt things shift in my life and just 3 days ago I started doing them again. I will continue to do them on my own, but I will also be part of this experiment.At this point in my life, I have done a great many things and overcome many obstacles, however having a constant flow of finances, to where I am able to pay my bills, have enough for a comfortable lifestyle for myself and enough to save a little has been an issue in the past. I have done quite a bit to shift this vibration. So, my five things for today that I am most grateful for are:1) Having a wonderful roommate. This is a new living situation, so I am so grateful for attracting her into my life.2) Having an opportunity to connect with my friend Lauren back East. She is caring for her elderly parents, one of whom is recovering from a double knee surgery, so her schedule has been kind of hectic it was a short conversation, but nonetheless it was great to connect.3) I am grateful for the felines in the house. I have been without an animal in my residence for over a year and the cats here are perfect. They are cuddly, quietly curious and as felines are full of mystical wisdom and energy.4) I am grateful for having a car, which a year ago I did not have heck I didn’t have it 6 months ago. I love driving and as the weather is getting colder and chances are greater for precipitation, I have an overwhelming feeling of joy.5) I am grateful for the show Pitbulls and Parolees . I absolutely adore dogs and yes pitbulls too. For me, they are like Autistic children in a way way misunderstood and very gifted. I had the opportunity to watch it for the first time last night and I was overcome with tears of gratitude, understanding and compassion.6) I am grateful for this experiment!!!

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