Exercise Journal of good things - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Exercise Journal of good things - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I have a confession: A friend told me about this exercise, and Im afraid that she heard about it on Oprah But hey, Its still good. Anyway, its about creating a daily positive space for reflection. Try it! Its terribly simple. Get yourself a journal, or open a new file on your computer. Then everyday, write down 5 things youre grateful for that day. And it can be just about anything, big or small. As an example, today Im grateful for: The beatiful autumn colours of the trees outside my window My girlfriend People brave and stupid enough to try and publish a new newspaper The music of Tom Waits The books of Harrison Owen Its difficult at first, but it will probably become easier after a while. Why is this a good exercise? Well, it will give you a pause every day, a chance to reflect on the positive qualities of your day. I find that all to often, I can move through entire days without giving myself time to reflect on what is happening. Also it focuses on the positive. Im pretty sure that for many people from a western culture, it would be a lot easier to think of 5 annoying things. We seem drawn to the negative, to what doesnt work. This exercise will accentuate the positive. As an alternative try writing down: 5 things you have learned today 5 nice people youve interacted with 5 beautiful things youve experienced Or make up your own category. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related