I've created a space to share gratitude & you're all invited.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how I'm SO HIGH-SPIRITED AND JOYFUL (ALMOST) ALL THE TIME?
I'll tell you how.
I've been journaling gratitude every day since 2020. Yes,(almost) every day. It's a simple way of taking inventory of my day but with the Appreciator within me activated. This exercise keeps me level-headed & steady, especially in challenging times, by helping me operate in the abundance mindset rather than in the scarcity mindset. I see the glass half full, instead of half empty. I find hope and possibilities even when things are going south.
This doesn't mean that I'm always happy. It just means that I'm exercising the power to choose and create my own happiness.
I used to create bullet journal collections in my Moleskins and then I do it in my Goodnotes app. Witnessing the evolution of it is also quite fun. :D You can see from the pictures that there's no wrong or right way to do it.
How TO JOURNAL GRATITUDE
You just want to note three things you're grateful for in this very moment. Just three simple things will do. But if you want to give it a try, consider the following 3 tips:
Tip 1: Appreciate simple mundane things
It doesn't have to be anything grandiose. In fact, the simpler and more ordinary things they're, the better. Like, "I'm thankful for Dennis getting me some Taco Bell" or "I'm thankful for having two working legs that allowed me to take a walk."
Tip 2: Appreciate what you have, not what you've done
You certainly don't need to "accomplish" anything to be grateful, either. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes I see people make when doing this is to list their accomplishments in varying degrees. That's being judgey, not thankful. 🥲
So instead of "I'm thankful that my presentation went modestly well," try "I'm thankful for the opportunity to present at all."
Generally, you want to word it with "grateful for..." rather than "grateful that..."
Tip 3: Don't explain the reasons or the background
The journal is for your own reflection and it doesn't have to make any sense to others. You already know the reason why and explaining it can distract you from appreciating the essence of it.
So instead of "I'm grateful for Taco Bell Dennis brought me because it helped me get through the tough day with energy," try "I'm grateful for Dennis' thoughtful gesture."
Those are just my suggestion, but you can do it however you want of course! :D
What AM I GRATEFUL FOR RIGHT NOW YOU ASK??
At this very moment, I'm grateful for
having a still usable yoga mat although my cat Mango went to town chewing off the edges of it
being back on a somewhat regular diet after over a month of restrictions due to peritonitis I was suffering
having all of my ten fingers intact fso that I can type and write down my thoughts and engage with my subscribers (That's you! 😃)
the season of melons!! (This is a must-try if you ever visit Korea in warmer seasons)
To be honest, I usually keep mine much, much shorter - almost keyworded - and bulleted. I don't explain the reasons for the gratitude because I already know why. The key is to focus on getting it out of you and articulating it in writing and to be speedy so that you do it every day without feeling like a chore.
In any case, lately, I've been thinking a lot about a way to do this amazing exercise with more people collectively.
How the idea came about
Recently, I came across a client who had difficulty being present in the moment. She was riddled with anxiety about potential failures in her business ideas and self-doubt that kept her worried about things that hadn't happened yet. It was crippling, as she felt stuck and unable to take any action toward whatever she needed to get out of the funk.
Because I wholeheartedly believe in the power of exercising daily gratitude, I require all my clients to journal gratitude daily in my program Redesign Productivity. I offer a template for it in the digital workbook that's privately assigned to each client. I don't usually meddle with it other than to comment and cheer on from the side. For this client, however, I offered to journal with her in her workbook to offer the extra nudge she needed.
And it worked like a charm! She later told me how crucial gratitude journaling was in the early days of the program, helping her break the vicious cycle of baseless anxiety and worries and become more aware of her negative thought patterns. She also told me how powerful it was to learn to find things to appreciate about herself just as she was and about her surroundings just as they stood. It helped her become more present and allowed her to start exploring the resources and strengths that she already had within her. THIS is a huge shift, which opens up all the possibilities that might have been locked up by the anxiety and fears she was dealing with.
"Gratitude for what currently exists makes presence more accessible."
From Co-Active Leadership - Five Ways To Lead by Kimsey-House
WHY NOT SHARE & AMPLIFY?
She's not the only client who experienced this. Simply appreciating small little things in and around oneself has been a powerful grounding tool for many of my clients. Needless to say, being grounded is a necessary premise to fully develop and utilize ourselves in life and at work. Perhaps you, reader, already practice this and know exactly what I'm talking about when I say daily practice of appreciation keeps you grounded. I highly recommend that anyone sincere about development should develop this habit.
Hence, the idea - Why not do this with more people? Why not create a space where people can join and share their gratitude? How uplifting and powerful would it be to share and bear witness to a number of things or even hundreds and thousands of things that people appreciate? I've taken this idea and created a virtual space where people can come and share their gratitude. I ever so creatively call it the Gratitude Board.
You're all welcome to join!
So today, I share this board with you hoping to experience the power of gratitude with more people. You can participate as individually, privately, collectively or openly as you want or in Korean or in English or in any language of your choice as long as you follow the rules that honor confidentiality and respect for one another. There is no cost involved for those who participate. I simply ask you to exercise and share gratitude so that you can inspire and be inspired and amply this impact within the community, creating waves of appreciation! Imagine how this could impact your outlook and behaviors in everyday life. You will be uplifted, empowered and much more positive.
If you want to join this board and start sharing gratitude in this space, simply message me and I'll send you an invitation.
Have a question?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joonyoung Kim is a Productivity and Leadership Coach based in Korea. Through her private coaching program for women leaders Redesign Productivity, she shares her deep passion for helping women leaders rethink what being productive means so that they can spend their time and energy meaningfully to drive fulfillment and abundance in life and at work
She is one of the first Korean-English bilingual coaches in Korea to be certified by Leadership Circle Profile™, the most innovative 360° leadership assessment tool available in the market.
In addition to developing women leaders, she also partners with EZRA Coaching, Leadership Circle, and Coachdot as an executive coach and develops corporate leaders from diverse industries across APAC. She's certified by the International Coaching Federation, Co-Active Training Institute & Leadership Circle, and she coaches & trains in English or Korean on Zoom across time zones.
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