Why You Should Keep a Gratitude Journal
By: Johannes Thor
Tags: Life Lessons, Gratefulness, Fear, Family

Why You Should Keep a Gratitude Journal

Also, What a Hallmark Movie Taught Me About Death

You know that feeling when you’re watching the news and you see a story about a plane crash.

Or when you hear about your friend from high school that got hit by a drunk driver.

You think, “That could have been me.”

Photo by niklas_hamann on Unsplash

Worries about death tend to grind us to a halt

If you’re like me, you probably worry about a lot of different things. We worry about our health, our kids, our relationships, or lack thereof, how much money we have, what other people think of us, and about a million other things.

But worries about dying are in a league of their own. Every time I get very sick, or if I have a pain in my chest, I start wondering if I’m dying. My mind then immediately starts racing with all sorts of doomsday scenarios. Not getting to see my kids grow up. How my wife, parents, and family will cope after I die. What kind of legacy am I leaving behind, if any.

Then I start wondering about the practical stuff like if my life insurance is still valid, should I tape videos of me for my kids where I give them advice about different life skills. I could teach them how to get other people to like them, or how to pay only $750 in taxes each year.

Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone

Death and taxes are the only sure things in life. That’s the truth and it’s something we all live with. We are probably more focused on the sure things in life than we should be.

It’s normal to think about death, and what will happen if we should pass away suddenly. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, the feeling is probably even more palatable.

While you can’t predict when your final day on this planet will come, you can be sure that it will. Not knowing when our lives end can be a blessing in disguise, though.

Try to take each day as it comes, and have solace in the fact that tomorrow might not come. So make the most of today.

What a Hallmark movie taught me about death

I and the family watched a romantic Hallmark movie on Netflix the other day. About two minutes into the movie, it was all but certain how the movie would end.

The two lovers who went their separate ways in their youth would find love again later in life. But this didn’t take much, if anything, away from the enjoyment of the movie.

What I found was that I was just as excited to find out how the eventual reunion would come about. And, as sappy as it was, the journey to the predictable ending was very enjoyable.

Which got me thinking about life in general. We often know how things will end, but we still enjoy doing them. Even though we know death is waiting, the journey is still a great unknown.

Enjoy the journey, enjoy your run.

Life is meant for the living

People who focus too much on pessimistic views of life are no fun to be around. I’m a hopeless optimist for the most part, except when I’m a grouch (too often), and try to help people look on the bright side of life. Just last week my boss said as much, and that my positivity was infectious.

The positivity comes from a place of need. I’m not an inherently positive individual. In fact, I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for most of my life. Often, it’s been quite debilitating.

To combat negative emotions, I’ve tried to motivate myself and others around me and focus on the positive aspects of life. Being grateful for the things I have. Keeping spiritually fit. Being responsible. Looking on the bright side of life.

It’s often hard, but that’s life I guess. What I’ve come to realize is that life will go on, with or without me. And it’s up to me to make the most of it, or not.

So focus on living and the people around you. Make the most of every day, and don’t worry too much.

Do this when life gets you down

Living a good life takes a lot of things. Discipline, hard work, commitment, healthy relationships, and a host of other things. But there is one simple exercise that you can do anywhere and at any time. And it never fails to turn my day around.

List three things you’re grateful for each day.

That’s it. If you commit to making a list, every single day, of just three things you have in your life to be grateful for, it’s going to change each day for the better.

Here are three things I’m grateful for today:

Having a warm home to work from

That my wife gave me a loving smile this morning

Choice of food in my refrigerator

Try to come up with three things you can be grateful for today. Some days it’s harder, but that’s when we need it most.

Tomorrow will hopefully arrive for us all. And with it will come more worries. But also more things to be grateful for.

Let’s try to focus on those.