Gratitude Points To Opportunities

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 139

Greetings, Take Pen to Paper readers,

This week, I’m reviewing what taking pen to paper (journaling) did for me.

I have a few new subscribers. It will be a new story for them. However, I found I needed to return to my roots. I wrote about it earlier in this week’s edition of From the Pen’s Nib.

In this newsletter:

1. Remembering the change.

2. Forgetting to beware of traps.

3. Turn gratitude into action.

I Changed For Good

When I say I changed for good, I mean it was a good change, and my intention was for the change to be lasting. If I had not intended the change to last, I would have abandoned writing gratitude long ago.

When I first took pen to paper, it was to write daily gratitude. That journaling habit helped me see more to be grateful for and made me a more positive person.

The lens of gratitude changed my perspective.

Just this morning, I spent ninety minutes on the phone re-enrolling in a prescription drug plan to complement Medicare. Ninety minutes is a long time to be on the phone repeating everything three times for a mistake the company made on the original enrollment.

I decided not to dwell on how it ruined my morning plan of volunteering at my granddaughter’s school. I knew I could go another day.

I didn’t complain to my husband. I learned what to expect from the service.

I’m grateful that we are healthy and have few prescription drugs at this time.

That’s what gratitude will do for you.

I have journaled daily gratitude for five years. I wish I had started the practice, or the practice of keeping any kind of journal, before that!

I think everyone would benefit from journaling.

Watch Where You Step

There are traps we all fall into from time to time.

It can be challenging to stay on your path; there are distractions everywhere. Course corrections are often needed.

I’ve written about the brain’s natural attraction to negativity. My strategy to fight that is to grow positivity with gratitude. It’s worked for me. But recently I caught myself looking for the negative. It’s really easy to find. Almost every source of media feeds off the negative in the world today.

You would think five years of practicing gratitude would make maintaining a positive attitude easy for me, but it is something you have to practice continually with intention. It can’t be just a rote action.

In a recent Interview, author Ryan Holiday said we have to remember that we are each example setters for the part of the world that is within our control (our actions), and we should stand out for the positive and good.

I was writing gratitude each day, but was I intentionally carrying that positivity into my actions? Was I standing out for the positive and good?

To stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one. -Marcus Aurelius

Gratitude Can Guide Your Actions

So there was positive me looking for the negative. I needed to reboot my gratitude practice.

It occurred to me that for much of what I am grateful for, others would also be grateful.

The gratitude I write is rarely grand or elaborate. It is often for small, everyday experiences. I’m grateful for friends, nature, or places I visit. Listening to Ryan Holiday made me think how easy it is to take what I’m grateful for and do the same for others.

I am grateful for a clean neighborhood street to walk on each day. I can turn that into action by joining a park clean-up or just picking up litter when I see it.

I am grateful for invitations to meet-ups with my friends. I can return the action or initiate meet-ups with other friends.

If I am grateful for it, chances are I’m not alone.

My plan is to be more intentional with my gratitude by jounaling why I’m grateful. Then I can see if there is action I can take to carry my gratitude and resulting positivity into the part of the world in my control, regardless of how small it may be.

Taking pen to paper was my beginning and now it keeps me accountable. What works for you?

You can find litter on the cleanest of streets. Photo by S.G.S. Abel

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

1. I am grateful for my original 30-day gratitude challenge that set me on the path to be a journaler. 📆

2. It’s good to go back and reflect on your habits. Are they still serving your needs, or do they need revamping? 🤔

3. Are you struggling with negativity? Check out these nine strategies.

4. It’s a good thing to share your gratitude with others. It helps train your brain to make a habit of practicing gratitude. 🧠

5. A Quote: "To be doing good deeds is man's most glorious task." - Sophocles.

6. It feels good to find others who have had the same experience with gratitude as I have. This short blog tell about another person’s experience.

7. It’s amazing that a few minutes of gratitude each day can make such a big change.

Thank you for reading. Do you practice daily gratitude?

Until next time,

💚

Susan

What accountability do you use for gratitude? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear about it.

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If you are a new reader of Pen to Paper, welcome! I’m glad to have you here. Consider subscribing. My newsletter is free, and I do not use affiliate links.

I have a 2nd newsletter about journaling. It’s a great way to learn about journaling, especially if you are new to the habit. If you are interested or know someone who would be, check it out at From The Pen’s Nib: A Commonplace Book About Journaling.