I wrote in a gratitude journal for 30 days and this is what I learned

As I dive deeper into the world of minimalism it seemed apparent that gratitude is a very important state of mind in order to be satisfied with what you have. For the past couple of months I have been very intrigued on the way society constantly pushes for obtaining more materialistic items and the endless cycle we face as consumers. We buy something and then we get bored and then we buy another item and we get bored again. The cycle never ends. It seemed like gratitude served the impossible by ending this endless cycle. Minimalism has taught me that being grateful for the things you already have redirects your focus on living a more free life rather than being stuck in the clutter that many people fall prey to. Below is some of the key things that I learned writing in a gratitude journal every day. Also, here is a link to the gratitude journal that I have been using. The 5-minute gratitude journal.

Experiences over materials

After about a week of writing in this gratitude journal I was pleasantly surprised by the vast majority of the "things" I was grateful for were experiences and people. In the rare times I did express gratitude for materialistic things it was something like my car because it allows me the opportunity to travel to places or things like my skateboard which allows me to exercise and enjoy a hobby with my friends. My most recent amazon purchase or impulse buy was never something that struck me as I sat there journaling. Perhaps, in the moment of buying those things, I would have thought otherwise. Me realizing that I am most grateful for the experiences I have experienced or the people that I have in my life has led me to redirect more of my energy and have a much deeper appreciation for those things. This realization has led me to be on my phone much less when I am around my parents and friends and just be in the present moment. It has led me to seek more of those meaningful experiences rather than meaningless items that I would then later forgot I had. Lastly, it has brought me true happiness when I am more certain on how and where I want to spend my time and helps me live a more authentic life.

Being Humble

Gratitude is the ultimate way to being humble. The classic saying being grateful for what you have because there is always someone who has more than you and someone who has less than you couldn't be more true. In the times I found myself wishing I had something that someone else had I reminded myself that I am grateful for the things I do have. The next time someone tells me "you're so lucky" I really take it to heart because I am really lucky. There are people out there that are poor in regards to money but are still extremely happy. Sometimes I would wonder, how could this be? I would later figure out that these people are rich in meaningful relationships. They stand for what they believe in and live an authentic life because they stay truth to themselves. Studies have shown that Mexico ranks one of the highest countries with the happiest children while United States ranks one of the lowest despite the huge wealth gap between both of the countries. On my most recent trip down to Tijuana I found a little boy around the age of 10 helping his dad run his taco stand. Even though this would be considered illegal in the United States because of child labor laws this little boy may lead a happier life because he gets to spend more time with his father and helping grow the family business. In result, living a more fulfilling and meaningful life because he is helping his family directly. This doesn't mean that we should lift the child labor laws here in the United States but it does mean that we should redirect our focus on how we can spend more time with the people we love rather than pushing 45+ hour work weeks.

Expressing gratitude out of habit

Gratitude journaling has helped me express gratitude out of habit. In times where I feel down or I feel like I am missing something I remind myself of the things that I am grateful for and focus on the things that bring me happiness such as experiences and the people I hold dear to in my life. Just naming 3 things that you are grateful for in a moment of sadness can quickly start a domino effect onto feeling more happiness. Also, when you express gratitude for the things you have you put an end to subconsciously comparing yourself to others. One of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt says "Comparison is the thief of joy" which is insanely true. It is impossible to be happy when you are constantly comparing yourself with others. However, I do not blame others for doing so because it is extremely hard not to in the world of social media. But, expressing a little bit of gratitude goes a long way.....

My overall experience

So far I loved my experience writing in a gratitude journal every day. It grounds me and helps me lead a happier and more fulfilling life. I would not say it is essential to expressing gratitude nor is it necessary to be a more grateful person. However, it does help as a stepping stone to creating the habit of expressing more gratitude. I would definitely recommend it to those that are interested. One of the things that I loved about the gratitude journal that I got was how quick it is to complete. This is not something that has to take up a bunch of your time. It took me 5 minutes out of my morning at most and the results were well worth those 5 minutes. In case you missed it, here is the LINK to the gratitude journal that I use. Thank you for reading!