About My Journals

Ever said to yourself, “I really wish I could find a gratitude journal that I could stick to?” Me too. That’s why I designed my journals. I was having trouble sticking to a daily gratitude practice, mostly because I struggled to come up with a list of things I was grateful for each morning.

Let’s be real, here. I am not a morning person. At all. If you want me to list what I’m grateful for first thing in the morning, 95% of the time, it will be (1) coffee and (2) my bed. Because let’s face it, I’d always rather still be in bed, but if I’m not, then I require coffee. All the coffee.

I became so frustrated with my practice that I stopped doing it. Why bother if all I ever list are these two things with a few extras thrown in to round it out? Plus, my journal included a nightly “wrap-up” section that I forgot to do about 75% of the time.

So, yeah, my gratitude practice was suffering.

One morning, I realized that if this wasn’t working for me, then I needed to find something that would, because a consistent gratitude practice is really beneficial for my mental health. When I stopped filling out my journal, I could see an actual difference in how I was feeling. And it wasn’t good.

The problem was I couldn’t find a journal that worked. Most gratitude journals out there follow this same formula. List the things you’re grateful for today, then recap how your day went. That works for many people. Just not me.

So I designed a journal that did work for me. And I put it out in the world, believing that if it worked for me, maybe it would work for others, too. It became my Love Letters to Myself journal. I followed that up with two others that rounded out my gratitude practice, Love Letters to My Younger Self, and Love Letters to My Body. Together, these three journals form the base of my self-care routine. It’s hard to feel grateful for what’s around you when you don’t feel grateful for who you are. These journals help me get to that place.

A few weeks later, I got the idea to design the Not Now, I’m Gratituding journal. This journal follows the more typical gratitude journal format, because you list things you’re grateful for each day. However, instead of having nightly recaps, I designed the journal with a weekly format. At the beginning of each week you set your intention, what you want to focus on for that week. At the end of each week, you give yourself credit for what you accomplished (big or small). In between, you find something to be grateful for each day. A gratitude journal that takes the pressure off to be “on” every day. Simple, right?!

So today’s blog is a message to you: if you need a self-care tool, or want to read a book about something, or there’s something in your life that you need but cannot find, think about making it yourself. Design that journal. Write that book. Make that thing. Because if you need it, chances are, others need it to.

Until next time, peace, love and gratitude to you all.