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I'm not really one for gratitude journals, and I've never felt especially inspired by moments of gratitude. Many people seem to find great comfort in this, and it's certainly not that I'm not appreciative for all of the health and happiness in my own life. But, in general, when I've tried to create a practice of gratitude, I find myself thinking of the same things over and over again each week.
About a year ago, I read a post or heard a podcast (can't remember specifically) where they talked about thinking of something that "went well" each week. Instead of framing it as something I'm thankful for, I frame it as "what went well" in the past week. It's easier for me to identify small moments or events that were a success or went well in spite of worries I may have had.
Here's a sample of some of my "Went Went Well" moments in my bullet journal over the last year:
- seeing Hamilton
- the pool
- girls' trip
- swim meet
- birthday gifts
- food prep
- days off
- bowling
- new restaurant
You can see that some of the moments are big, like a girls' trip. Some are quite small, like bowling or food prep. Since I don't feel like I'm claiming thankfulness for bowling, but instead just appreciating that our family bowling outing went well, I don't feel a sense of guilt about the whole exercise.
It's very nice to go back and see all the moments throughout the year that "went well." Experiences with my children, work challenges that were overcome and even new outings that went smoothly are all positive reflections. Hopefully, if you are one of those folks (like me) that struggles with gratitude, this alternative approach will help you with appreciating both the big and small moments.
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