Gratitude Note (2014.12.31)

　I make it a HABIT to write down six things that I am thankful for in my notepad every day. I call it “Gratitude Note”. For example, I write about my gratitude for my mother, my friends, my colleagues, and our patients. The objects of gratitude are not always people. I recently wrote gratitude for my down jacket, earphones, a parking lot, the internet, and even destiny. Anything is OK, as long as I feel grateful for something.

　I started this writing habit about four years ago, in January 2011. One of my colleagues shared with me that this habit makes people happier and healthier. It was originally “the habit of writing FIVE grateful things”, and I had been writing five things until this October. But I upped it to SIX to push myself to the next level.

　Yes, indeed. The “Gratitude Note” gives me great GIFTS. I bet you will understand what I mean if you try it, but let me briefly explain.

　By continuing this habit, we become really good at finding small sources of happiness in our lives, because it’s like having installed an antenna for positive perspectives. Once installed, this antenna in our brain starts searching for grateful things happening around us to complete the writing mission for the day. Believe me, the effect on our lives is MESMERIZING.

　Another gift is re-experiencing. If we write things down, we will be able to reread our past notes, and we can recall and enjoy those grateful feelings again. Grateful things are often very small, so those positive emotions or memories tend to fade quickly. But if we write them down and reread them, we can easily reconnect with those feelings and sometimes even discover new meaning in those experiences.

　Why not give this habit a try? I strongly recommend it. You don’t have to do it 100%. In fact, I don’t always do it either. Sometimes I can’t, and sometimes I forget. But that's OK. We don’t need to feel discouraged even if we can’t do it. The important thing is to keep going. We’re not doing this to feel discouraged—we’re doing it to enrich our everyday lives.