Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Gratitude Journaling and Changing Your Focus

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Focus on the Good, Grateful, Gratitude, Gratitude Journaling, Napoleon Hill, Positive Thinking, Thankfulness

“If you attain fame and fortune, and do not attain gratitude along with it, the chances are that you will not enjoy that fame or that fortune.”―Napoleon Hill, Success Habits: Proven Principles for Greater Wealth, Health, and Happiness

Do you practice gratitude daily? It is hard some days. You wake up; you feel like crap; you don’t feel enjoy going to work. How do you find that place where you are thankful for what you have?

I like to journal first thing in the morning. When I get to my gratitude journal, I write in it until I feel that all is right with the world. When I first began my gratitude journal, I was going through the motions. It takes time to develop feelings of gratitude. Over time, however, I achieved a state of peace and calm. It snuck up on me. You find gratitude by writing what you are thankful for and acting grateful. These feelings of gratefulness will come. Give it time.

Gratefulness is a way to express your thanks for what you have. You can be grateful for your life, your job, your skills, your situation, the good times you had yesterday with a friend, the quiet time you had with your cat or dog, drinking tea, and enjoying a good book. You could be grateful for a good meal, a nice outing with colleagues, or just for having a job. Each of us are unique. What you are grateful for may differ from what other people are grateful for.

How do you start a gratitude journal? Start small. My gratitude journal started when I found The 5-minute journal. You can Buy the 5-minute journal here. I am not affiliated with this journal; I am merely suggesting it to you if you do not understand how to start. In this journal, it will require you to write 3 things you are grateful for in the morning and 3 things you are grateful for in the evening. At first, you might have difficulty finding 3 things. Once you do, you’ll feel something you may not have felt in a long time. The best time to do your gratitude journaling is in the morning as soon as you get up and around. The best time in the evening is right before you nod off for a good night’s sleep. This is how I got started.

Now I use Microsoft’s OneNote for my gratitude journal. You can use a diary app, you can use a handwritten journal, you can use the 5-minute journal. Whatever works. Gratitude journaling is all about training your mind to focus on the good things in your life and ignore the bad things. Whatever you give life to will overwrite what you stop feeding. This is the premise of gratitude journaling. Thinking about what you are grateful for will help you avoid thinking about what you are unhappy about. It’s a psychological bait and switch.

Try this out. You have nothing to lose. If you are a person unhappy with your life, this will help turn that around. Once you focus on what is good in your life, you’ll think about other positive aspects of your existence. This thinking will bring you better results and re-write that part of your mind that has dominated you with negative, unresourceful thinking. Your mind is a powerful creator. It will create whatever you focus most of your time on. Thinking negatively will cause your mind to only filter the negative things around you. Your mind will create what you think. Turn this around and think about positive things—things you are grateful for. Your life will take on new meaning and you will feel terrific!

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Napoleon Hill – Self-Control

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Napoleon Hill, Self-control, Self-discipline, The Habit Poem

Today’s Quote:

“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” – Napoleon Hill

This quote is all about self-discipline and doing the things we commit ourselves to. I was going to write an article on this topic, but this quote reminded me of a poem I found and have kept for safe keeping. It is called The Habit Poem by John Di Lemme and it is awesome (see below).

The Habit Poem

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.

I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,

and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men.

And, alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great.

Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine.

Plus, the intelligence of a man.

You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.

Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am a HABIT!

–John Di Lemme

I wish each of you a great Friday!!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Beneficial Habits, Fear, Napoleon Hill, Perfectionism, Procrastintation

Today’s Quote:

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill

Procrastination is the killer of all goals, dreams, and plans. There are many articles online, books, and other sources that discuss the problems associated with procrastination. The two primary reasons I procrastinate are fear and perfectionism.

When I fear to have to do something, like making an unpleasant phone call or having an unpleasant conversation, I procrastinate. When I am working on a large writing project or some other important goal, I procrastinate because I want it to be perfect.

The logic behind both of these reasons is absurd when you think about it. Feeling fear about an unpleasant phone call or conversation–get it over with. Perfectionism? What is my definition of perfect and how do I know that it will be perfect for someone else? The key to doing anything or make progress is simply to do it.

Weightlifting is a hobby of mind. It is more like a lifestyle. I enjoy working out. I enjoy going to the gym. It was not always this way, however. There have been times where I would just blow off the gym for weeks on end. What I discovered when I figured out that fitness was a lifestyle choice was simply to go to the gym, regardless of what I did. You know what happened? It got easier and I actually enjoyed going. In fact, I look forward to going to the gym.

There will always be internal resistance with anything you try. There will always be some fear, some perfectionism, something that will tell you internally, “hey, why don’t we think about this a little more, or why don’t we wait one more day so we can do this at this time instead?” That internal voice will make a shift when you begin seeing the benefits of your fitness choice. I imagine the same will be true for any other beneficial habit you attempt to bring into your life.

Until next time…

Dave