Why Create a Gratitude Journal...Now, Hear Me Out

You tend to find what you focus on. 

Try it now. Scan the room and count how many blue things you see.

Now, close your eyes and recall how many red things you saw.

What you focus on becomes your reality. So if you want success, but keep thinking about failures or missed opportunities, do you really think that’s helping you reach your goals?

A few months ago I decided to focus on the little moments of positivity that happen every day, because at the time, it felt to me like there were none. The world and everything in it was bad, bad, bad. In my defense, 2025 was just plain crapalicious. Poop on a stale cracker. But I figured the only way to lift my mood was to force myself to see the bright side.

So, I started keeping a gratitude journal. I hate journals. My handwriting stinks because I type everything. Seriously, I’m convinced that if someone runs across random notes I’ve written after I’m gone they’ll say, “Yep. This one's a serial killer.” So I do it in a notes app on my phone.

And to keep it simple so I’m not be forced into disingenuous, overly flowery writing, I allow myself one line of text. Just one and any emojis if I want to punctuate the point a bit.And that gratitude can come from anywhere.“New website launched” or “Payment from client XYZ came in”to "Friday did great at training” or “The dishwasher repair was under warranty”.

I write down even the most minuscule things. And you know what happened?

Because my subconscious is thinking about the line I have to add to my digital journal at the end of the day, I’m looking for good stuff all day long.

That has a two fold effect. First, it’s helping with my attitude which definitely needed a lift.

But also, because I’m looking for good things I want to try new things on the hunt for that next good feeling. I’m open to it all!

So yeah, journaling? BLECH! And gratitude journalling? Really, like we have so much to be grateful for? I seriously never thought I'd be one of those people. That’s just a stretch when you’re not feeling blessed. But the funny thing is, I bet if you try a gratitude journal for a few months, you’ll start feeling like you are. Okay, maybe not in the “lottery winnings in your lap” kind of way, but in the little meaningful ways, that can be a slow trickle of happiness into otherwise blah, hectic, or frustrating days.

So look around, but make sure you’re looking for what you want and write it down so it cements in your brain!