Gratitude and the Pursuit of Happiness

Being the month of Thanksgiving, I always try to make November a month to reflect on all the areas in my life that I should be grateful for. In my class of 5th graders, I have them each create a Gratitude Journal. Each day they are supposed to come up with 3 non-materialistic things to be thankful for.

I am encouraged when I read their ponderings: "I am thankful for the crunch of the leaves on a cool autumn day." "I am thankful for the sound of chirping birds when I wake up." "I am thankful for teachers who grow my brain." I even had a little boy who was "thankful for the sound of persimmons falling from the trees." What I love about Gratitude Journals is that no matter how bad of day you're having, there are still things to be thankful for.

I was first introduced to the idea of Gratitude Journals when I was a Junior in High School. My English teacher, Mrs. Logan had our whole class keep these journals. At first I rolled my eyes because it seemed like such a childish task. What I soon realized, was that there are so many little things to be grateful for: finding a really cool pen in the hall, hearing babies laugh, Jesus clouds shooting from the sky, and so many more.

This morning I was listening to Woody and Janet on 105.9 and I learned that this week is Pursuit of Happiness Week. He gave a list of ten things you can do to make your life more joyful and ways you can be more happy. Of course I know the root of authentic joy is none other than Jesus Christ, but I was interested to hear how to obtain joy through secular means. I really like this list. Look it over and see if there are any ways you can become a more joyful person.

10 Ways to Be a More Joyful Person
1. Plant and nurture something.
2. Reflect and be thankful about 5 things daily.
3. Talk for an hour with a loved one at least once a week.
4. Call a friend you haven't talked to for a while and set up a time to meet.
5. Do a random act of kindness for someone every day.
6. Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
7. Give yourself a treat everyday and savor/enjoy it.
8. Laugh everyday!
9. Say hello to a stranger every day.
10. Spread kindness.

Hope you have a great day. Enjoy the beautiful sunshine and think of all the many blessings in your own life!