Finding Clarity Through Gratitude: The Unexpected Start of the I Am Journal Series
As some of you may or may not know, the whole idea for our I am journal series began with the simple idea of wanting to create a gratitude journal. I was in a place where life had thrown an unexpected career curveball my way, and I honestly felt sad and hurt. I couldn’t seem to get out of the funk I was in until one day I leaned in on choosing gratitude.
That particular day had actually been a good day. I helped to put on a women’s symposium with our local Chamber of Commerce which was fun and exciting.The speakers at the event were inspiring to not only me, but to many of the women in attendance and that was a win.
After the conference, I had a hair appointment, and I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to my hair appointments. My stylist is a friend, so I knew she would ask how things were, and I knew I would tell her what was happening with my new life transition. As I told her the story, she was kind and understanding and she was able to make me laugh a time or two.
So all in all, it was a good day of being around people I enjoyed. Despite the day going well, here I was, once again, laying in bed at night crying because I couldn’t shift my focus from how hurt I felt.
Then I remembered something…
When I was a teacher, I had a rule for my students. When they were upset about something I told them you can be upset about whatever it is for 10 minutes. Within this 10 minute period of time, you can do whatever you need to do to just feel those feelings and be sad, mad, or frustrated. (For most of the situations the high school kids were upset about, 10 minutes was enough but every situation varies.) However, when those 10 minutes are up, it’s time to get to work and figure out what you needed to do to not be upset anymore.
So as I lay there crying, I realized I had let my 10 minutes drag on too long. It was time to stop crying and do something. That’s when I noticed the pale blue notebook my friend gave me sitting on my nightstand. I grabbed it, and I did something that I have done before, but never in such a moment of desperation and anxiety. I wrote down every single thing I could think of that I was grateful for. It was sloppy and tear-stained, but when I was done I had two full pages that listed all the people and things I had in my life that I truly appreciated. As I looked over my list, I felt a sense of calm that I hadn’t felt in awhile. And that night, I got my first full-nights sleep in weeks.
The next morning, I found new clarity — I was going to create a gratitude journal, and so, I got to work.
There’s much more to the story to get us where we are now, which will be for a later newsletter, but that’s how it began — with gratitude. So as you go throughout this month where giving thanks and being grateful are in full focus, lean in and see what clarity you find in the process.
Start Your Own Gratitude Journey
Just like that night when I found peace through gratitude, I want to invite you to try it for yourself. We’ve created a free Gratitude Action Page for you to download. This page is filled with small, meaningful ways to cultivate gratitude daily—whether it’s a handwritten note to someone you appreciate or taking a mindful gratitude walk. Use it as a reminder that even the smallest acts of gratitude can bring clarity, peace, and joy.
