#write31days | October 9

By The Robertsons | October 9, 2018 |

A common practice in business and life coaching that you have probably heard over and over is to write down your goals. If you write them down, research has shown you’re more likely to stick to and accomplish them. I’ve never really been one to write down my goals. I’ve also heard this advice about writing down the things you’re thankful for. I did start trying to regularly write down moments of gratitude after hearing this advice over and over.

The key to doing this is to be specific. It’s not about “my family, my friends, food to eat, place to sleep”. It’s taking time to think about the specific things within the day and recognize what you’re grateful for.

A few years ago I was in a hard season after losing my dog and a few other things going on and I can remember sitting in a circle and being asked to share what we’re thankful for. I literally said “I don’t feel like I have anything to be thankful for right now.” And, my tears brimmed over, because I was so sad. There was something about saying that out loud for me though, because the people I was sitting with shared my burdens and prayed for me. And, I started seeing little things to be thankful for again.

A few years before that I was sitting in the hospital supporting framily and an ICU patient where we were trying to stay afloat with all of the information, diagnosis and changes happening daily. It seemed nothing was really positive. We started journaling to keep up with the days to remember what happened on what day to note any forward progress and at the end of each day’s notes we started writing down something to be grateful for from the day. It was also really hard in those first days to find something to be grateful for. But then, we started finding it easier and it wasn’t only one thing, some days there was more than one thing.

So, maybe you’re in a season where it seems there is nothing to be grateful for. Say that out loud. It’s ok. But, then once you’ve said it, begin to watch for things that you can be thankful for. Because I know they will come. Sometimes we are so afraid to say something like this out loud because we don’t want to admit it. However, some seasons are just really hard to see something to be thankful for. You’re not alone. If this is where you are right now, I’m praying that you would see something in the day to remind you that you do have something to be thankful for.

A couple of months ago I started a “Gratitude” note on my phone and I’ve tried to write 3 things down most days that I am thankful for. The little things. Because the little things mean so much to me and they add up to be big things. If you read my list, you might think some are silly, or wonder why I would be thankful for ______, but to me it mattered on that day.