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 5
As you work through this journal, you’ll be reading much less and writing much more. Each time we approach a new facet of The Lyceum Method, we’ll explore the ideas so that you have a good grasp of the how’s and the why’s. The idea is for you to really internalize the ideas and implement the practices through action. Before we move on to the next aspect of The Lyceum Method, let’s dig just a little deeper into gratitude.
Gratitude builds connection.
I used to study salesmanship. I loved the idea of it, but hated the work part. I’m a natural introvert, so direct selling was a miserable experience for me most of the time. But I did learn a lot about human nature.
One of the things I learned early on is that even if you’re on the phone with someone, you should smile. The smile comes across in your tone, even if the other person cannot see you. Not only that, but emotions tend to follow action, so smiling- even when you don’t feel like smiling- actually helps you feel happier and more optimistic.
Developing a sense of gratitude for other people works much the same way.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
- William Arthur Ward
I agree with the sentiment of this quote. Actions speak loudly. But even gratitude felt (and practiced regularly as a skill), has powerful effects on our relationships. The gratitude comes across in our tone, like a smile over the phone. A deep sense of gratitude developed for someone will foster within us patience, kindness, and admiration. We often get the action/emotion order of events backwards. We think motivation fosters action, but more often when we act first “as if” we are motivated, then our enthusiasm grows out of our action. The same can happen when it comes to connecting with people.
If we develop a sense of gratitude for other people, we begin to admire them more, we begin to feel more connected, we may even begin to overlook certain aspects that are less desirable about them. Gratitude, even when kept to yourself, can foster a deeper more loving connection with others.
Having said that, it certainly helps to express that gratitude to the person through action. In fact, as I mentioned above, oftentimes emotions follow actions. So if you’re having a hard time mustering up gratitude for people, try treating them as if you are grateful for them.
Today, let’s write a little more. Think of 3-5 people, events, or objects you’re grateful for. Write a sentence or two about each.
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!
