The Gratitude Diaries - And how they canged my life // Ella

Hi there, it's Ella!

Today, I finally want to talk about a book, I mentioned quite some times.

The Gratitude Diaries.

Basically, this books tells about how the author, Janice Kaplan, makes herself a promise on new years eve - to stop complaining and start being grateful and look on the bright side of whatever will happen.
Every month, she focuses on another subject - her marriage and friendship, finances and ambition, health and fitness,... whatever.
And through the year, she notices, how this effects her life in every aspect, because it is her attitude and perspective which change.
She involves a lot advice from expects on those topics, psychologists, academics, doctors, and philosophers,...

I did not only enjoy the reading itself - and I really have to say that how the books written and what it tells you just makes you somehow happier right away, but as I looked up from the book, I started thinking the same way of the same aspects in my life.

And this is what I am still doing.

Acknowledge the wonderful things.

Every time, when I am walking or taking the tram, whenever I have time to let my thoughts drift off, I am thinking about what makes me happy. Right now and overall.
I enjoy the fresh air, the sun, feeling my strong legs and feet taking me from one place to another, being in time or just having time to lean a bit back, admiring beautiful buildings, ...
I am thinking about my family and friends too, or how happy I am, being able to study, all those things. 

Doing this regularly gives me a more positive attitude overall.

Take yourself time to admire.

Every time I enter my room and the sun shines in, I am taking a short moment to smile at this. 
And I am doing this for quite a lot of things. 
Do not only pay short attention when passing by, but hold on for a few seconds, regard what made you pay attention in the first place.

This way, the impression will last longer.

See the positive side of the situation.

Honestly, I never really liked winter, just because I didn' like the cold and the slickness.
Well, that changed. Whenever I would silently complain about it, I stopped myself and I thought, why bother the cold? I'd rather be happy that I am wearing a thick coat and cozy scarf and beanie. 
Or sturdy footwear.
Now, I always smile at this, because I consider my clothes as a warm cocoon.
And I am able the be happy at the falling snow.

Furthermore, my way of studying has changed too.

I always really stressed about exams, like, in a really bad way. And I was afraid, this time it would be the same as ever.
But it isn't.
First, I stopped bother about all those things I didn't accomplished during the day. Instead, I tried to be happy about what I managed to do.
Actually, with the time, I even started doing more, because I developed a more positive attitude towards studying this way.
Second, whenever I started worrying about the exam itself and how in the world I should get everything done in time, I stopped myself.
I knew, I always managed it before.
I would manage it this time as well.
I wrote all the positive things down, that I am smart and in exam time, you're at high-performance anyways, stuff like this.

And it really worked.

Reflect on your thoughts.

Every evening, I write down what brought me joy that day. In the book, Kaplan wrote down what she was grateful for, but this works just the same way.

Sometimes, there are bigger events, like I was happy about eating dinner with my friend at this Indian restaurant. Sometimes, I just enjoyed the sun or the great book I read, being very productive that day or enjoying the smell of the freshly washed laundry.

And then, from time to time, I am writing a little text, more like a diary entry with general reflection.

I like coming back to both. Reading it just makes me even more happy and grateful, because I was allowed to make such wonderful experiences.

Those were the things which are helping me the most. There are not explicit in the book, but I saw it as if you find the most important things by filtering them out of the text anyways.

I hoped you liked this sort of post, I know, it was a bit long, but I really had to write that down.

Ella.