Hello friend.
I am glad you are here. And since you are here, maybe you joined the Find JIJ Gratitude Challenge.
As you may know by now, I love gratitude journaling, which I share on my Instagram. Journaling this way helps me focus on the positive in life and brings me joy. It’s a way to relax and express my creative side. And it’s fun!
Find JIJ Gratitude Challenge is a small project that takes me up to 10-30 minutes a day. My goal is never to be too busy to document each day's blessings by making it a daily practice, but it hasn’t happened so far. I really would like to push myself a bit and try to make it a consistent habit.
What is Find JIJ Gratitude Challenge?
This year I decided to challenge myself to practice gratitude journaling each day. I want to start my day with the mindset of being grateful intentionally. But also to improve my creative side of journaling.
What is a Gratitude Journal?
A gratitude journal is writing what you are grateful for. Focusing on what you are thankful for is the first step in bringing better things into your life. It can be so easy to complain and feel down, especially as we face hardships in these last days. Keeping a gratitude journal focuses your mind on the positive and on the beautiful future ahead.
Why join the challenge?
A grateful, optimistic outlook does not come naturally. That's why it is essential to develop and maintain a grateful perspective. The more you do that, the more natural the tendency to be grateful will become. That will make you far happier than those who focus on life’s difficulties. Of course, I had fun making this challenge, and I thought it would be nice to invite others who would also benefit from it. I have found gratitude art journaling to be a great thing to include in my daily life. A regular gratitude practice can change how our brain neurons fire into more positive automatic patterns. And doing this challenge with others will be fun for sure. We can encourage each other and get to know each other better.
What do you need to join the Find JIJ Gratitude Challenge?
First, you need to choose your journal. You can add gratitude journal pages to the journals you already have or keep a journal dedicated to Gratitude. Either one works. There is no right or wrong on how to keep a gratitude journal. I encourage you to use what you have on hand and recreate it into something unique and fresh. Whether it's a composition notebook or a sketchbook, use what works for you. You don't have to invest a lot of money to do this. Keep it simple. Remember, gratitude is a gift, and a journal filled with your words of gratitude is your gift, so make it special for yourself. I'm reusing a stack of gently used journals/notebooks, and I can't wait to see how they transpire. Here is mine at the beginning stage.
You can use watercolor paints, crayons, markers, colored pencils. You name it. A dose of creativity will be useful.
Rules of Find JIJ Gratitude Challenge.
Make it daily. Take time each day to think about some aspects of your life for which you can be grateful. You can write down up to three sentences about what you're grateful for, or just one word, whichever stands out for you. It all depends on how much time you have available and how creative you feel.
If you aren’t able to do it daily, do not put pressure on yourself (the pandemic is enough). Even if you’re able to do just a couple of days a week, that’s a good start!
Many of you ask me, "how do you stay so positive"? Gratitude journaling keeps me focused on the good. So this is an excellent way to feel better.
Where I can find inspiration?
It's good to look at some inspiration, especially when you just start with gratitude journaling. You can find it here.
My Instagram Highlights: PROMPTS
#findjijgratitudechallenge hashtag on Instagram
My Pinterest Boards: Art Journaling, Gratitude, & MY FAVORITE SUPPLIES
Join My Instagram Close Friends Group, Find Joy in Journaling
I believe this challenge is small enough to follow, and having you participate in it will also motivate me. I want this challenge to be an enjoyable experience, and I hope you will find it enjoyable also.
Do you think you can benefit from this challenge? Let me know in the comments or DM on Instagram.
In gratitude,
Lis