At a party in the last few days,  those attending learned about a method one woman used to brighten her life. She takes a picture of something for which she is grateful every day. Once she got on a roll and realized how much it meant to her — not sure it took the whole year to which she dedicated her experiment– she created the website www.365gratitude.com. She has the fun of looking out for what she is grateful throughout her day, then clicking the picture, putting it into her digital journal. Readers, you won’t be surprised to learn that this practice has had a major impact on her — she loves her life more, she sees her husband as more romantic– she began to notice when he gives her a footrub and assists her with projects etc. Now with the website she is sharing her technique for change with many.

We know what is happening here! She decided to look for what is going well and then she finds it more and more. Then in a higher vibration she draws more and more of what she loves to herself.

Those who have been reading my blog for awhile have heard how much I advocate noticing what I love to observe–appreciating. And, too, you probably recall that I favor writing down my appreciations. I practice this daily both morning and night. In addition, I keep a special notebook which I call “Personal Toolkit” in which I keep track of events, appreciations, positive moments and thoughts which have particularly strong juice for me.

For example, yesterday I hung an art show at a local women’s counseling agency. The curator there kept making comments like: ” Oh I just love your work.”, “My this one is a beauty!”.  Wow it felt great to experience her reaction!  This morning I wrote a sentence  about those remarks and the way it felt in my Personal Toolkit book.

During the Christmas holiday weeks, I had some intervals of feeling less than the happy I prefer. I pulled out not only this past year’s personal toolkit but also a couple of previous years and read pages. What a treat to read about great moments from my life — this alone  roused my spirits and then added momentum– the fun that I had forgotten all about many of the entries from past years. What lovely assistance to shift my perspective! Wow did I feel better in just a few minutes!

Here are two souped up memories: About five years ago I was gifted with a loan of an empty apartment when I attended an advanced yoga training. Without this offering, I would have had not only to buy a hotel room for a week but also I got to make food that was more nourishing for me rather than restaurant food. I had forgotten about that. In 2011 driving home from a trip to visit him, I received guidance to send my brother a certain book at a time he was filled with despair. Receiving this book turned around his depression. Yowser! I had forgotten my part in that amazing turn-aournd.

I impressed myself with how effective it was to review the toolkits– even though I created them for just this purpose. When I feel lower, I am forgetting how much Good abounds. It is a special shot in the arm that this stuff happened to ME. I lived this Good! Not abstractions, not just sharing in good happening in the world as one can get on goodnewsnetwork… me personally.

The 365gratitude woman underscores how powerful it is for her to review her gratitude pictures. Focusing on them brings her higher. Continuing to focus on them regularly, she boasts, has transformed her life. Apparently, she had not previously felt herself to be a happy person. No longer….

The Personal Toolkit is one of my creations that works for me. Noticing what pops in my life, writing it down, then reading it again, then writing it into the personal toolkit, then reading it again– I rock at growing new neural pathways and creating happy paths in my brain :). I like feeling good much of the time.

Readers– I would love to hear your stories of this or similar ways you support yourself… Have you tried documenting appreciations? What tweaks do you recommend? Use jpearl@streamofyes.com to send those along. 🙂

At the party some of us came up with this greeting to ring in 2016– Happy Now!

Thanks for being part of my world!