Awareness First Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude journaling isn't just writing about what you're grateful for. It is using your awareness to find goodness in order to be grateful

Writing what you're grateful for ⇄ Using your awareness to find goodness.

Awareness First .

Gratitude journaling is not what you think it is.

I mean, it is. But it isn't limited to what you think it is.

How would you define gratitude journaling?

Most people would say, it is journaling about what you are grateful for.

I agree. That's a beautiful and simple way to define it.

You simply grab a journal, think about what you're grateful for, and write it down.

The effects? To make you happier. It's for positivity, happiness, and feeling good.

Simple.

But what gratitude journaling is actually doing for you is making you become more aware.

Gratitude does not exist in a vacuum. That gratitude journaling entry did not fall in your lap. The item you wrote down did not spontaneously materialize.

1. You first, became aware,

and second,

2. Pointed that awareness towards something good or something you appreciate.

Noticing things is a skill.

(At least noticing them on purpose is). Gratitude journaling is a place to practice that skill. When you choose what you want to be important instead of your nervous system doing it for you. Instead of the state of thing-happens-then-you-judge-it , it's a state of choosing-to-notice-things-happening.

Events stop being in a vacuum and start being already out there, you're just going out to find them. You're making outbound calls instead of waiting by the phone. That's agency.

Gratitude Journaling Redefined:

So then, the opporative of gratitude journaling isn't the fact that you're journaling about positive things. It's the fact that you're being aware.

Gratitude journaling isn't just writing about what you're grateful for. It is using your awareness to find goodness in order to be grateful

Writing what you're grateful for ⇄ Using your awareness to find goodness.

( Where else do you want to point your awareness? )

So, What happens when you practice gratitude?

( I mean, when you practice pointing your awareness to in directions that trigger gratitude?)

You start to expect good things.

Why wouldn't you? You're accustomed to finding it. You're not shocked when the light comes on in the fridge because your whole life, that's been your norm. So you start to expect the light.

With gratitude journaling, eventually you'll start expecting good things. What's that called? Optimism.

You are now in the optimism phase. You aren't keeping your awareness open for goodness anymore, you're just noticing what you already assumed would be there.

This is trust. This is abundance. This is knowing.

You are in a state of receiving rather than seeking.

What is it that you start receiving?

Opportunity.

You aren't just noticing the little perks and sweet gifts of life, you are noticing open doorways. (Those are gifts and perks too). Things that you can do if you want to. You start to see options.

Why? You're already primed to expect good things. Opportunity is just a part of the perks package you've subscribed to.

This is what I've called "Opporsensitivity".

Your perks add up. You start noticing opportunity and resources in your life. You might consider yourself "lucky". But to me, Resourcefulness + Awareness = Opporsensitivity → Luck.