Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a PDF version and other notes.
If you’re new to Daily Prompts, you may want to start at the beginning of the series here.
Year______ Month_______Day______Consecutive Practice Days_____Missed Days______
Day 2
It’s easy to underestimate the power of developing a habit of gratitude.
It’s accessible to anyone in any circumstance, it requires very little effort- especially with a little practice, and you can bring up the feeling of gratitude at any time in any place.
I realize that when things aren’t going well, it’s not the first thing most of us turn to. If you have a sick child, a tragic loss of love or life, or an illness that’s kicking you down, gratitude is not generally the default response. But that doesn’t mean it’s not accessible.
With a little thought, anyone can think of at least one thing they can be grateful for. The hard part is remembering to access gratitude when we don’t feel like it (or don’t want to). That’s why we’re practicing it here.
There are many practices that have a carry-over effect. Keystone practices lead to benefits outside of the direct activity of the practice. For instance, people who meditate regularly often find that they improve their awareness, focus, and sense of presence throughout the day, not just while they’re “trying” to meditate. Developing a sense of gratitude is such a Keystone Practice.
A little daily gratitude in your morning journal tends to carry-over into a general sense of optimism. It spills over into confidence, worthiness, and clarity. Gratitude will not only help you feel better about life, it will help you develop strategies for your accomplishments, deeper connections in your relationships, and a sense of grounded well-being in the present.
Right now, write a sentence or two about TWO things (or people or events or opportunities) that you are grateful for.
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Daily: (The pdf version below contains three lined pages for your daily journal)
NOTE:
The above is an excerpt from the upcoming The Lyceum Course Journal. We will be releasing it here for free as a Daily Prompt blog post. If you would like a physical copy, we will link to it here once it is released.
Suggested Use:
I realize a daily journal prompt on a blog is a little weird. This is how I would suggest using it: Open your favorite note-taking software such as Evernote, copy and paste this post into it, and write your daily entries there.
OR
Download a PDF version of this post here. Feel free to print it out, or access it through a PDF editor where you can type in your daily entry.
Collaborate With Me!
This post series is a first draft of the future book. If you have suggestions, comments, or see errors, please reach out so that I can make the final product more valuable for you and the rest of the community. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!