A Year of Gratitude

Give me a date in 2015, and I can tell you something that made it worth living. That’s because for all of last year, I kept a daily gratitude journal.

Don’t get me wrong — 2015 was not a year of 365 perfect days. Like most people, I experienced a number of emotional ups and downs: professional frustrations, health issues, and romantic woes, just to name a few. Forcing myself to find something positive in each day was often a challenge.

Consistently expressing gratitude didn’t magically turn me into Pollyanna, but it did bring some valuable positive developments into my life.

Noticing the Little Things

Keeping a gratitude journal encouraged me to “zoom in” and notice the small moments that make life a little brighter.

At the end of a pretty average day, I’ll find myself with my gratitude journal open in my lap, struggling to come up with something to write. Yes, I could just write something like, “I’m grateful to be alive,” but even though that’s certainly nothing to take for granted, it’s just kind of boring.

So, I’m forced to deep dive. What made today a little bit special? I’ll walk through the details.

Let’s see…I stopped by the grocery store after work. The line was really long, and I was just trying to buy a soda — oh!— then that nice woman let me go ahead of her because I only had one item.

And then I have it — some bit of kindness offered by a stranger that made my day a little bit better.

My gratitude journal is sprinkled with many entries about moments like this that might normally have been lost in the shuffle of daily life. Reflecting on such events has encouraged me to appreciate the small good deeds people do each day.

Handling Setbacks

When you write several sentences each night that all start with, “I’m grateful for,” it inevitably becomes a permanent part of your vocabulary and your approach to life.

The other day, for example, I was on a walk with coworkers when it started raining. My immediate internal reaction was irritation, but thanks to my gratitude “training,” I flipped it around before sharing with the group.

Instead of complaining, I said with a smile, “Well, they say adversity leads to closer relationships, so I’m grateful we’re getting this opportunity to bond!” Everyone seemed to relax, and the rest of the walk just felt amusing, albeit a little wet.

Sharing the Love

Most of my gratitude journal entries include names — coworkers, friends, family members, and acquaintances.

At some point in the middle of the year, when I was feeling pretty comfortable about the fact that I was keeping a gratitude journal, I started occasionally sharing with people what I had written about them.

Here’s what has surprised me most — no one called me creepy and no one made fun of me (at least not to my face). They all seemed pleasantly surprised. I guess no one minds hearing that they’re appreciated!

The journal also helps when I get frustrated with someone. Remembering how many times I’ve expressed gratitude for a person makes it difficult for me to stay annoyed for too long.

A Caveat

Do I think keeping a gratitude journal has had a positive impact on my life? Yes! Is it a magical solution to all problems? Definitely not.

August 6, 2015 was the worst day I experienced last year. That day, I found out that someone — who had appeared frequently in the previous 6 months of gratitude journal entries — would no longer be in my life.

The gratitude journal just seemed like a self-inflicted cruel joke to me at that point. And yet… I had made a commitment. So, I wiped away my tears, forced a few moments of lucid thinking, and managed to scrawl:

I’m grateful I made it through the day.

Was it creative? No. Did it take away the pain? Not at all. But it expressed the truth of the moment, and it gave me a brief feeling of peace, reminding me that even in the darkest times, we can be grateful for something.

The gratitude journal isn’t a panacea, but it does help put issues in perspective.

As a software engineer, I’m usually focused on what’s broken (bugs) or what’s missing (new features). Taking a few minutes each night to break out of that mindset and instead focus on what is right in the world has brought peaceful moments of happiness into my life.

I highly recommend giving it a try even if you’re already a pretty happy person, but definitely if you’re not. Expressing appreciation requires only a small investment of time, and the positive changes to your attitude can deliver benefits daily.

About the Author

April Wensel is the founder of Compassionate Coding, a conscious business on a mission to transform the tech industry by training technologists in emotional intelligence.