Workbox 06: The Gratitude List

Thoughtfully being thankful

“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” - Psalm 136.26

Good Morning everyone, and welcome back to The Workbox! I am glad that you have made the return voyage, or if you are finding yourself here for the first time, welcome aboard! The Workbox welcomes every visitor, and I hope that you become a welcomed friend by the end of it all. If you would like help navigating The Workbox check out the archives for a complete collection of all the posts so far. You can even start with this one here. It is about Joy and gives you a good sense of what I write and what I am about.

Today, I wanted to share a tool that I use occasionally. It is called a gratitude list. It is extremely basic and helps generate a thankful heart by listing things that you are grateful for. I tend to start by writing out 50 things that I am thankful for. At first, it may seem difficult to think of 50 things, but trust me, it can go by pretty quick once you get going. I suggest that you write them out on a piece of paper. If you are on the go or pressed for time, you can do it in your mind as well.

As an aside, I find that writing things out is a better method for me because that physical interaction helps me remember better. It also creates a tangible copy of my thoughts that I can read later. Those thoughts do not disappear like dust in the mental winds of my mind. Rather, I can tie them down with the weight of words on paper, thus leashing them to the physical world and safe from getting blown away by the Nor'easters of the mind that tend to erase all those thoughts I try to remember.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5.18

Try writing out your own gratitude list today. Start with 25 things that you are grateful for. If that seems easy go for 25 more! Below is my gratitude list as an example. It took me about five minutes to write them all down, and it took me longer the first time I attempted it. But you can do it! That's all for today, now let's get to work!

My gratitude list. You can make it pretty varied, and in no certain order.