Trying to be grateful – which at 8pm and still in the office is proving rather difficult…

As part of our iMedia quarterly newsletter we wanted to introduce you to our online magazine ‘Wondrlust’ and the free daily posts we create on living a meaningful, fulfilled life.

This is based on our 7 habit framework that includes; Strengths, Positivity, Physical Health, Relationships, Meaning, Flow and Kindness. We post a different habit each day, and each includes some Inspiration, Knowledge and Action (our habit loop). If you login to Wondrlust you can sign up for free.

Today is all about Positivity

Well this BLOG is ‘mostly’ about Positivity - and in particular Gratitude – and how we at iMedia try to live this day to day.

First, thank you for your understanding on any grammatical errors, as English Language exams were never my strong point (sorry Father) – do see what I did there… if not  read on. If you did, read on anyhow, it’s taken me so long to write this post I could do with some moral support.

…and if you fancy reading a bit about the Science behind gratitude click here.

I was grateful I didn’t throw my computer out the window

We will give you an honest appraisal of how our company/individuals are doing living by this philosophy. So here goes;

Today, especially over the last hour or so, i was grateful i didn’t throw my computer out the window. Spending far too long creating content for Wondrlust, when my strengths quite clearly aren’t content management systems. This is something we will talk about another time – ie why on earth am i doing it then while advocating focusing on your key Strengths blah blah blah. Anyhow through months of skilled learning I managed to;

(i) stop,

(ii) take a deep breath,

(iii) think about the cost of the computer and window

(iv) then carry on working while everyone headed to the pub

(v) feel grateful being at my desk while team are having fun (not true)

Simple things… like a gratitude log

Best things often prove to be the most simple, and in this case its absolutely true. All you have to do is start writing a Gratitude Log / Journal.  If you want better proof – having seen Professor Martin Seligman (the Gordfather of Positive Psychology) speak, it is the one thing he continues to go ‘everyday’.  If you are interested this is what we do;

1. Simply set a reminder in our calendar at c.7pm each evening . Timing is important as you prime your brain before sleep.

 

2. Write 3 things you are grateful for that day (more if you fancy), but a minimum of 3 – this ratio is important click here

 

3. If you feel uncomfortable about writing a journal or talking about being grateful – you have to just get over yourself! We had to :). Just get on and do it. The positive long term impact far outweighs the initial uncomfortableness

 

4. It takes 30sec to do. So again just try it, don’t think about it too much

 

5. and do it regularly. we do it daily (So does the Godfather – see above!)

 

6. There used to be lots of gratitude logs, but many seem to have gone offline which is a shame – like HappyRambles and Gratitude365 – so look online and find something that works for you. Or as we do just write to yourself and store it in a file.

 

and its great to look back on

For tips on writing a gratitude journal click here

Finishing this Blog will go down in my Gratitude Journal later this evening. Thank you for reading… see what I did there

Written by

Julian Hay (Founder of iMedia and The Wondr Project)