Why Don't Gratitude Journals Work?
We're doing it wrong
“Write down three things you’re grateful for every day” is one of my least favorite pieces of advice.
It’s so vague and I end up writing the same few things over and over and then thinking, “why do I have nothing else to be grateful for”.
Marcus shows another way to practice gratitude. He goes person by person in his life and writes the lessons he has learned from them. He’s practicing both gratitude and humility. He accepts that the parts of himself he is proud of are all learned from other people.
Note - Healthy humility is not seeing yourself as worse, but instead seeing others as better.
He thanks people for lessons as vague as “integrity and manliness” and as specific as “how to accept favors from friends without losing your self-respect or appearing ungrateful”.
He spends pages at the beginning of his journal thanking people. Remember that these are his personal notes not meant to be shared. He is reminding himself that he has so much to be thankful for.
I try to remind myself each day that the best parts of me exist entirely because of the actions of others. Whether it is my self-belief or my curiosity, I was shaped by the good men and the bad men in my life.
Often, the worst times and the harshest people teach us the greatest lessons.
Brains Gains
What part of yourself are you most proud of? Who do you have to thank for teaching you that?
Your Biggest Fan,
Noah “BigNerd King” Sochaczevski
PS. November 7th Reading: Pages 17-23
I’m most proud of my ability to see the best in everybody I meet. I’m thankful to my father for teaching me that by example.
One of many things I learned from my boys: The connection between body and mind is important to maintain, train and continually nurture.