It’s easy to get caught up in life and forget to appreciate what you already have, as life moves rather quickly. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss all the good things around you. Just like that, it shows the importance of being grateful!
The habit of being grateful comes from appreciating every good thing in life and understanding that there is nothing too small to be thankful for. As a matter of fact, being grateful is one of the most desirable qualities that many of us still struggle to get a hold of.
One way of appreciating every good thing in life is by writing it down and what better way to do so by journaling?
Gratitude journaling is something that can help you look at things with a clearer perspective and we have found someone who can share about it in a little more in depth.
If you are wondering what a gratitude journal is or how you can jump on the journaling bandwagon, you have landed on the correct page. Founder of Signature Market, Edwin Wang shares some interesting strategies and points to practise appreciation in your daily life and how it may benefit you.
1Twenty80: As a Founder of Signature Market, how did you get into gratitude journaling?
Edwin Wang: I got into gratitude journaling about five years ago when I attended a class called the Law of Attraction and it changed my company and myself. There was a huge visible difference between how I used to operate my business before and now. As I begin to notice the changes, I continue to learn more about this through books, YouTube videos, workshops and more.
1Twenty80: Could you share with us what a gratitude journal is?
Edwin: A gratitude journal is actually one part of it that you do on a daily basis. It’s about journaling and writing your own story in an optimistic manner.
Often than not, gratitude always pairs with self-appreciation. I found that most people are more clever to beat themselves up rather than praise themselves. If we make it a habit to appreciate ourselves, we gradually become what we thought.
Always praising yourself will help you turn into that person.
I started this gratitude journal because in the Law of Attraction practice, there are many books teaching people how to practise it, but there’s no workbook for people to practice it daily.
The amazing thing about the law of attraction right, if you stop practising, then you must constantly activate this side of you.
1Twenty80: How is a gratitude journal different from other journal or diary writings?
Edwin: Diary and journal writing have similarities and differences. The similarity of both writings is that you write your story.
However, a gratitude journal is when you focus only on writing positive thoughts, self-appreciation and basically anything and everything you’re grateful for.
On the other hand, diary writings can be a little different because people tend to write both positive and negative aspects that happened in their life.
For instance, in gratitude journaling, you shouldn’t write things like “I fell down, so I’m grateful to be alright now”. Instead, you should write things like “I’m grateful for my bed, because it’s a safe and comfortable place that I can relax and rest in each night”.
1Twenty80: Have you noticed any difference from writing a gratitude journal?
Edwin: Yes I did! As a matter of fact, a few of my classmates from the Law of Attraction class suggested practising gratitude in a WhatsApp group. So we started to do it everyday and shared positive things about our daily journey and how amazing we are.
As we continue to observe positive improvements, such as achieving our dreams and goals we realised we didn’t have a gratitude journal. So, we decided to create a gratitude journal and share it with the world so that others can experience the joys of life as we do.
1Twenty80: When it comes to journaling, are there any key points to take note of?
Edwin: Do not use negative points to highlight the positive ones. For instance:
- Don’t compare yourself with others when writing, such as I am grateful because I didn’t get wet in the rain like the other person because I have a car. Instead, it can just be, I’m grateful for my car because it protected me from getting wet today.
- Avoid using negative points to highlight the positives. For example, I should have eaten less, but I’m grateful I didn’t gain weight.
Don’t make yourself feel better by using negative and bad thoughts or actions. Simply focus on yourself and don’t overthink it. Just acknowledge it as it is and praise yourself because you deserve it.
If you reprogram your thoughts with positive things like “I’m awesome”, one day the whole belief will change and you will feel that you are an awesome person!
1Twenty80: Can a gratitude journal help and improve mental, physical and emotional well-being?
Edwin: In my opinion, as a matter of fact yes! The sole purpose of this whole journal writing is to show gratitude and self appreciation. As you continue to write, you will become more aware of your thoughts. So when you’re aware of your feelings and emotions you can understand yourself much better and change your belief.
Your belief is your thoughts, hence the way you form your emotions becomes a habit. If you reprogram your thoughts with positive things like “I’m awesome”, one day the whole belief will change and you will feel that you are an awesome person!
This also gives people the opportunity to see you in a better form and acknowledge you. At the end of the day, a grateful and thankful life is a life well lived.
