Keeping a Joy Journal or Blessing Book

In the past couple of weeks I have been writing about motivation and I hope my suggestions have helped. I would like to stay on this topic but in a different way.

Today I want to talk about keeping a journal, not just an ordinary journal but a journal that you write down your blessings or joys that you had for the day/week/month.

I have kept a Joy Journal for over a year. I may not write in it every day but I do write in it every week. I really enjoy putting down on paper what things gave me joy or things that I have seen that I enjoyed. I have more fun when I go back and read what I wrote. I am reminded of some things I may have forgotten already. Looking back at my journal also keeps me motivated. I am able to see how far I have come in a year and what I have accomplished.

In my journal I have written down some horrible things that have happened during last year as well. After a few days I go back to that awful event and I am able to find a blessing because of the event. I know that may sound bad. But if we are honest with ourselves there is joy or a blessing that comes from something bad, if we are just willing to look for it and not always look at the negative.

*There are different ways to keep your journal. You could use your computer to keep everything on a Word document. This is my preferred method. I make a folder that says: Blessing Book and then use a Word document and title that with the year. I generally keep a notepad nearby so I can write down anything that I see as a blessing. Then I take a few minutes at the end of the week and copy my blessings to the computer file.

*If you like to physically write, you can also buy a nice leather bound journal book or a cheap spiral note book or composition notebook. I know some ladies enjoy making their book pretty. They buy a composition book and then use scrapbooking paper or even wrapping paper and cover the book.

*You can even use your smart phone. Find an app for notes and keep them there. Just make sure to date your blessings. You can transfer them to your computer at any time.

Keep in mind the blessing doesn’t always have to be your blessing. You may witness some sort of act of kindness and that pleases you, or it could be you listening to a child laugh, or your friend told you some great news. That is true unconditional joy my friends. Finding joy in someone else’s happiness is priceless. You are not being selfish with the blessings or joy. It means you are wanting blessings and joy for others.

The point of keeping a Blessing book or Joy journal is to remind ourselves daily to be on the lookout for things that make us smile, warm our hearts, make us feel good about ourselves or even others. It’s also a great habit to get into if you have a tendency to see the negative. This is also a great way to stay motivated. We are constantly looking for the joy or blessing we don’t have time for the negative.

So get out there, look for the joy and be sure to write it down.