Wisdom Wednesday: Gratitude Jar Update

(c) Megan S, December 2013
(c) Megan S, December 2013

If you are a regular reader you’d be aware that at the beginning of this year I started a Gratitude Jar.

To recap, the purpose of this jar is to remind me at the end of the year of all the little things I’ve achieved or been grateful for during the year. Each night I’m meant to write down what I’m grateful for that day and add it to the jar with the goal of emptying the jar at the end of the year (or beginning of next year) to review.

So… how has this been working for me?

I think I’ve finally settled down into a good routine, but it has taken almost 5 months to work that out.

To begin with my jar was in the study next to my sewing machine. I didn’t always remember to go and write something down in the evenings and I was getting to the point when I was having to remember back a week or more to record things for each day.

I’ve solved that problem by moving the jar and all the necessary supplies to record my gratitude to my bedside table.

My gratitude corner (bedside table)
My gratitude corner (bedside table)

By doing this I see it there every night and remember to think about the day that’s just been and what I was grateful for.

You’ll notice in the picture that I have post-it notes, pens and scissors next to the bed. The post-it notes are so large that I can record 3 or 4 days at least on each one so the scissors let me cut each day off as I go.

To remind me where I’m up to, and so I can be sure I haven’t missed a day, I write the next date at the top of the post-it note as I cut off that night’s post.

I’ve also struggled with some days working out what I’m actually grateful for! I didn’t really expect this, but when some of your days are spent with pretty much zero energy and spending half (if not more) of the day in the bathroom throwing up it does happen. Those days I tend to record as ‘Rest Day’ and if there was one thing I really enjoyed (like being able to lie outside in the sun or cuddling the kitty cats) I’ll add that as well. This way there is no days that I have not been grateful for anything.

Have you set up something similar for yourself this year? If so, how are you going?

What are you grateful for on your worst days?