When I was a child, my mother always used to say ‘count your blessings’. I didn’t know exactly what she meant. Now as an adult, I find myself regularly counting my blessings. There are so many things for which to be thankful. Since the Thanksgiving celebration in the United States falls in November, we often think more directly about giving thanks during this month. In fact, I am just finishing up 30 days of thankfulness. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I have been posting one thing every day for which I am thankful.
Even though this is the month when being thankful is on our minds, I believe in incorporating an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness into my day – every day.
Here are some ways to help you count your blessings daily
Gratitude Journal
A number of years ago, back when Oprah had a daily television show, I remember her talking about writing down three things that happened during the day that were positive. She challenged the audience to think about the good things that happen during the day and to write them down. Essentially to focus on the positive.
She went on to say that when something goes wrong analyze what happened by writing about it in the journal. The reason is there is often a lesson to learn and that turns the negative event into a positive.
Here’s an article that talks about looking on the positive side of a situation.
It made me recall my mother and her talking about counting your blessings.
It turns out that Oprah was on to something. I’m sure that comes as no surprise to anyone.
In the field of positive psychology, they are finding that keeping a gratitude journal can have a profound effect on your psychological, physical, and social well-being. Here’s an article which details the benefits.
Try writing down the things that happen during the day. The more you do this the more positive things that will occur to you to write down.
Express thanks to yourself
In the article mentioned above they talk about expressing thanks not only to others but also to ourselves. When we express gratitude the hormones serotonin and dopamine are released in our body which makes us feel happier.
Are you wondering how this relates to organizing? I’m so glad you asked!
We can thank ourselves when we create simple solutions in our homes that make it easy to find the things we use most often. It makes me so happy when I find what I’m looking for without any trouble.
Isn’t wonderful when your eyeglasses are exactly where you want to find them? Or when you don’t stress over remembering where your car keys are?
Remove much of the day-to-day stress from your life by having simple solutions for the things you use most often. Then, as you employ these solutions, count your blessings that you put them in place.
Routines to follow
It can be helpful to attach a specific household chore to a day of the week. For instance, every Monday you change the sheets. Maybe Tuesday is the day you change out and wash the towels. When you have a specific day to do a certain task, doing the task on that day becomes a habit.
Thank yourself for following through and getting it done. Then give yourself a little reward. Make it a clutter free reward like taking 10 minutes to leaf through a magazine or 30 minutes watching your favorite TV show. Be sure to record it in your gratitude journal as one of the positive things that happened today.
Challenge yourself to organize one space every day using the Organize Your Home 10 Minutes at a Time deck of cards. These cards direct your focus onto one space, so you don’t get distracted. When the timer goes off, you are done, and you can thank yourself for doing a little organizing.
Creating an attitude of gratitude and counting your blessings is something that happens over time. Consider joining the Clear Space for You virtual support group I run with Jonda Beattie if you would like support and accountability as you create this for yourself.
Diane N. Quintana is a Certified Professional Organizer® ,a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®, Master Trainer and owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC and co-owner of Release●Repurpose●Reorganize, LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia.