Happy New Year

May all of your New Year wishes come true!

mmwwaaaaahhhh!

3 MONTHS — It’s hard to believe that I’ve been completely off of Facebook and Twitter for this long.  [If you want to read Part 1 of my Social Media Sabbatical, click here, & Part 2 Social Media Sabbatical Day 30-ish click here]

It’s become normal.  I don’t tweet. I don’t cruise Facebook updates every other second.   It’s really kinda nice.

There have been mornings, when I’m sitting at the kitchen counter, enjoying my Chocolate Teeccino and my husband is looking at his Facebook page on the big computer in the kitchen.  I glance over and see those little red icons at the top of his screen: 3 new messages, 2 new notifications, etc. and I get a little pang in my stomach.

“What am I missing?”

But it passes pretty quickly now.

I suppose that as the holiday season is ending and this year comes to a close and my sabbatical officially ends, I need to start thinking about what I’ve learned from this experiment.  Will I go back to tweeting and facebooking?

Honestly, I haven’t decided yet.

I have several projects that I’m really excited about pouring my energy into and I’m a little hesitant to dilute my precious time and focus.  I know that tweeting and facebooking have been a huge time and energy suck for me in the past and a grande way to procrastinate on things I want to accomplish.

However, there are a few people that I’ve wanted to reach out to and Facebook and Twitter are such great ways to connect to people these days.  So, I guess I will be signing back on, just not as often.

Internally, the whole “Look at me! Look at me!” feeling has really passed.  I now know for sure that I don’t need to be broadcasting my life anymore.  There have been some really exciting things in the last 3 months, but I talked myself into being in the moment the whole time and truly enjoying the process and the people I’ve been playing with rather than diminishing the moment with a cute twit-pic or 140 character status update.

This Social Media Sabbatical was good for my soul.  People still reached out to me by commenting on my blog or sending me an email.  I didn’t disappear – whatever that means.  My “presence” on social media sites probably wasn’t missed much, but the social media sites weren’t missed much in my real life either.  And, in fact, my “presence” greatly affected my real life in many ways.

The ability to focus on what’s really important was huge.  You know that black hole thing that happens sometimes when you go on twitter or facebook and you read something mildly interesting and then you click on the link and go to a blog post and it’s mildly entertaining and then that takes you to another article or site that kind of peaks your curiosity and before you know it you’ve been reading stuff that really has nothing to do with your life or your work or your passion and whatever you’ve been reading is making you feel like you’ve missed out on something or you’re just plain missing something or not good enough in some way and your whole body feels deflated and kind of depressed? Has this happened to you?

After too much wasted time, you snap to attention and think; “What the hell? Why am I reading this? This has absolutely nothing to do with what I want to do in my life today, or possibly evahhhh.”

Yeah, well, that doesn’t really happen anymore…(much).

Actually, it did happen recently, when I got an email in my “To Read” file from an acquaintance.  This is the file I set up for the things I felt bad about unsubscribing from, but I didn’t really want to read them either.  Why did I set it up as “To Read”? Why not just straight to trash? Diagnosis = Fear of missing out on something.

So now I have the opportunity to change those settings. No more “To Read” file.  It’s straight to the trash. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

NOW…. the Black Hole Thing is really not going to happen anymore.

So maybe this Social Media Sabbatical was really a way for me to change my own internal settings.

No more reading stuff that doesn’t enrich my life.  No more clicking on links just because I’m bored or avoiding what I said I really, really wanted to do but I’m too afraid to actually get off my ass and just do it.

Now, I’m doing it. I’m working on projects that make me excited and little afraid.  I’m stretching my comfort zone. This is what my sabbatical was all about. Growing. Determining my focus. Taking steps in the direction of my dreams. Hanging out with people that inspire me and make me want to be a better version of myself.

So as we head off into the new year, I send this wish to you.

May you surround yourself with amazing beings that inspire you to be the greatest version of yourself.  May you feel relaxed and content and satisfied by your work and in your daily life.  May you focus on what’s truly important and forget the rest.  And may you have countless Perfect Moments to toast in the coming year.

Happy New Year.

Cheers! xoxoxoxo Sandy !

PS: If you need a little motivation to move past your fears in 2012, here’s a little video to “push you over the edge”, heh, heh.

Hi, my name is Sandy and I’m a Facebooking Twitt-aholic

The first 2 weeks were the hardest.  It’s really humorous to watch your brain as it thinks in 140 characters and status postings. I find myself wanting to take pictures of a beautiful dessert or a fabulous cocktail and share it, but where do I share it now? How? With who? (or is it whom…. this would have been a great question for my Tweeps, dammit)

When I’m clinking that glass with my date (er, husband), instead of performing my usual ritual of Cocktail-Toast-Interuptus, which involves a complicated maneuver of arranging the glasses & candles on the table “just so” and taking several pictures to make sure I’ve got just the right angle and lighting.  Now, I just take a breath and say:

“I Declare This a Perfect Moment” (my all-time favorite toast)

I’ve been doing lots of reading and not nearly enough writing.  I decided to use this down-time to do a 15 day Juice Reboot (inspired by the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – which I HIGHLY recommend – it’s so inspiring!) The movie, not the juice reboot, that kinda sucks, but feels like you’re doing something extremely healthy for your body…. I digress.

The biggest thing I’ve noticed is a generally calmer state of being.  I notice it when I’m driving in the car, picking up or dropping off my girls somewhere (which I spend A LOT of time doing), I notice the fall leaves and how beautiful the colors are.  I used to have this constant nagging feeling that I “should” be doing something or that I might be missing something.  That’s the thing about social media, it never sleeps.  You could literally be tweeting and face-booking 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  And I used to think if I wasn’t connected and saying something interesting, or quoting something inspiring, or sharing something funny or cool, then I would be forgotten.

I guess I thought if I wasn’t tweeting and face-booking I might disappear.

But  I didn’t disappear! What I’ve come to realize is, not only didn’t I disappear, I’m actually more HERE than I’ve ever been.

That nagging feeling that I’m supposed to BE somewhere else DOING something else has dissipated.

And in it’s place is a more joyful daily experience.

My life has not been without it’s challenges the last 4 weeks, I have two teenage girls living in my house, so the hormones are out-of-control (my poor husband). However, I’m convinced that this Social Media Sabbatical has helped me navigate those challenging moments with a little more loving presence and understanding.  Maybe it’s the flood of healthy micro-nutrients that I have been pouring into my body every day, but I’ve actually felt quite giddy lately.  Like something really good is about to happen. My life feels more relaxed. I feel more relaxed, less anxious about life in general.  I’ve had more time to turn my focus inward and listen to the dreams that have been whispering to me.

There are things I’ve missed. Like sharing in my friends & family’s lives, getting tagged in photos from my high school buddies, posting pictures of our first snow. In fact, here’s a picture I snapped and texted to my immediate family (living in sunny South Florida) of our back deck Wednesday morning. It was amazing!

And I really got to appreciate it.  Instead of rushing to get online and check Twitter, Facebook, etc. I’ve been leisurely enjoying breakfast and then driving my 14 year old to the school bus every morning, I’m more available when my husband comes upstairs from his office to chat about how his day is going.  I’ve been spending quality time with myself, letting my Inner Wisdom bubble up and whisper exciting possibilities to me. I’ve been asking what would make me happy and then listening for an answer.

I’m not sure if it’s connected in any way (says the girl who believes everything is connected), but the day I started the draft for this blog post, like 2 hours after I wrote the words “I feel like something really good is about to happen”, I got a call about a project that I’ve been waiting on for months and it’s moving ahead. Which is very exciting. And I feel energized and ready to give it 100% and I’m pretty sure this Social Media Sabbatical has given me the space and the clarity to focus on what’s important so that I’m ready for these opportunities when they come along.

Is Your Smartphone Stealing Your Life?

I read this article yesterday in The Huffington Post: Is Your Smartphone Stealing Your Life?

“At any of my children’s performances, half the parents are participating in the experience through a digital device, capturing the images of their children dancing while missing their children dancing. They are recording the experience so as to have it; to possess it as one would an object. And indeed they end up possessing just that: an object, empty of the felt sense of their children actually dancing.

Behind their devices, these parents are having an experience, but the experience is of technology and their relationship with it. It is no longer an experience with their child, themselves or the dance.

When we record life through technology, we end up with one thing: a lot of technology. We have 16 gigabytes of memory, but no real memories of our life.

It is ironic — in an effort to try and keep it, we perform the ultimate sacrifice: We remove ourselves from it. We watch life like a prisoner that must be prohibited from escaping.”

Interesting… isn’t it?  I don’t know if I’m ready to abandon my picture/video taking smartphone and all of it’s amazing abilities just yet, but WOW, do those words speak to me.  I feel the truth somewhere deep inside of me.

What I know for sure, so far, as I sit here on Day 30-something of this so-called sabbatical:

Tree on my street this morning

It is very good for the soul, now and then, to be quiet and go within.  And even though my life might look very similar on the outside, my insides tell me something different.  There is a calm, steadiness to my life.  Any bit of frantic energy that was present has dissipated.  Part “look at me!” and part trying to capture every beautiful moment but not really being in the moment – it’s gone, for now. Will it return when my Social Media Sabbatical is over?  I don’t know.  But I do know that learning to really BE in the present moment, takes practice.  So I’m using this sabbatical as my practice. One day at a time.  One precious moment at a time.

**You can now sign up to be notified when there’s a new blog post. In the upper right hand corner, enter your email & I’ll let you know when something new is happening. **

If you’re interested in taking your own Social Media Sabbatical, here’s where I started… Social Media Sabbatical

Here’s Part 3: Social Media Sabbatical Update Month 3

Whaaaaaa?  How am I going to do this?  I think I might be cheating already.  Because I’m writing this before I’ve actually given Melani the current passwords to these accounts.  Because….. you know……  I need to leave these accounts with some type of explanation, right? For like, when people come looking for me? I can’t just disappear. Can I?  Would anyone even notice?

Yep Folks. Therein lies the problem.

Somewhere between my morning coffee and mid-day snack I started reading this article.  These words stopped me cold:

I had a guttural reaction. Something deep inside of me screamed “YES!”  A flurry of emails back and forth between Melani and I and Bim – Bam – Boom ~ she was done with Facebook. Also, Melani deleted her Twitter account months ago.  This is a woman who clearly does not suffer from the same level of “Look at me! Look at me!” as I do.

Nevertheless, I am going to do it.  (Can you hear me chanting to myself “I think I can, I think I can”?)  I am! I am! Dammit. I just need a little more preparation.  I mean, for instance, when I started writing this blog post, I didn’t even know that I was going to agree to stay off Facebook and Twitter until next year!   That seems a bit drastic when I see it in writing, but I think 3 months is a good length for a sabbatical, don’t you?

So, here’s what really did it for me:

And so, with that bit o’ brilliance from Laurel, I leave you, my social media comrades. I’m done with the exhausting exercise of “Look at me! Look at me!”  At least until next year.

T.T.F.N.!  (that’s Ta-Ta-For-Now for those of you who do not have teenage daughters)

If you need to reach me (and oh Lordy, how I’m praying that you DO) I’ll be blogging right here and reading every single comment.  Otherwise, I’ll be writing lines of dialogue and poems, songs and essays, staring at clouds and hiking up mountains, all in the hopes of creating something meaningful.

”Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried.” – Tim O’Reilly

Next: Part 2: Social Media Sabbatical Day 30-ish-Detox Update

Then: Part 3: Social Media Sabbatical Update Month 3

Is more ukulele.

My birthday was last week and my friend Glenn was visiting from California.  We were sitting in my kitchen and he said, “It’s your birthday, you should watch this video of Bohemian Rhapsody on the ukulele.”  So we did.

And it was awesome. I had to share it with you.

Jake says in his introduction “What the World Needs Now is More Ukulele” and I completely agree.  Glenn & his wife took ukulele lessons when they were in Hawaii and said it was so fun.

So, watch this and notice how much feeling he puts into the notes.  He really wins the crowd over as he plays, the end is amazing.

I’m off to buy a ukulele!

“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place” – Jake Shimabukuro

Agreed!

Price Tag. Have you heard it yet? (I posted the video & lyrics below for you)  The first few lines of her song have been haunting me.

“Seems like everybody’s got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night. When the sale comes first, And the truth comes second, Just stop, for a minute and Smile ……
Why is everybody so serious Acting so damn mysterious Got your shades on your eyes And your heels so high That you can’t even have a good time”

Jesse J. is talking about the music industry but I think these words could apply to any industry.  They hit me especially hard because I recently walked away from a business. Some say: leaving a lot of money on the table, because of this exact thing. My gut was screaming at me and I had to listen.  For better or worse, I seem to have this built-in Bullshit Meter and once it goes off, that’s it.  Caput. It’s over. I can’t continue to do something that doesn’t feel right to me.

The more “well-known” or “successful” I became, the more Soul-Sucking the whole process became.  Mostly, because there were so many willing participants in the dance that would say and do just about anything to make a buck.

Listen, I’m not some Polly-Anna, New-Agey, whoo-whoo, up-in-the-clouds, girly-girl that preaches “just do what you love and money will magically appear”.  I used to tell my clients; “It all starts with a vision, you have to be clear, BUT you can make a vision board and meditate on it everyday and they will still come and take your furniture away… if you don’t take action.” I’m a realist about these things and extremely practical.

This song, Price Tag, got me to thinking.  If it’s not about the money (and I think most of us would agree IT (life) is not all about making money, until you’re NOT making money, then IT sucks, right?) ~  what is IT all about (Alfie)?

Can you make a living or at the very least a fulfilling life making people happy?

Or as Jesse J. says in her song:  “We just want to make the world dance”. Can you do work you love and make money without selling your soul?

I want to make the world dance.  I want to make the world a little bit better during my short time here on planet earth. But I also have bills to pay and children to feed and gosh, it sure would be nice to take a little Va-cay now and then. Can we have both?

Can we figure out how to do work that feels important and meaningful and makes the world the better place AND support our families without selling our soul?

I think this may be the question of my life. The question I was born to figure out for myself this time around. Because it keeps circling back around to me, just when I think I’ve found an answer (or at least a clue) BAM! I’m right back where I started.   Perhaps a little wiser, but none the less, back in the circle again.  And oh, what a lovely dance it is.

I’m not going to pretend I’ve found the answer.  Lord knows, you’ve got to figure THAT out for yourself.  But I want to share some of the stuff that’s been catching my attention lately, stuff that seems to be pointing me in an interesting direction. (I was going to say the “right” direction, but that would mean there is a “wrong” direction and I don’t believe any of the directions I’ve gone in the past were wrong.  I believe everything serves, so I’ll just continue down the most exciting, interesting path in front of me).

Since I stepped away from my old business I’ve been immersing myself in new stuff.  It hasn’t been easy.  The world I was operating in is extremely incestuous.  Every time you try to put your head down and just ‘do your work’ you get pulled into someone else’s program, system or fabulous event that promises to rock your world and make everything perfect, right? But I’ve managed to walk away.  For me, it involved deleting my Facebook account and creating a new list of people in various industries that I see when I go onto Twitter.

I’d like to tell you about one of the people that is really inspiring me and making a difference in my journey.  And the good news is, he doesn’t have a program that’s going to fix you! He doesn’t want to sell you “the answer” for the price of a new car. (do I hear cheers? hooray! yippeeee!)

Edward Burns aka “Burnsie”, you may recognize him from films like “The Brothers McMullen”, “She’s The One”, “Saving Private Ryan”.  I started following him on Twitter a few months ago and I was blown away by the stuff he was sharing with indie filmmakers.  You can tell that he really cares about the process of making movies and he wants to share what he’s learned along the way. I’ve since embarked upon my own private Ed Burns Film School (watching the director’s commentary in his films) I’ve learned so much from this exercise and I still have so many films left to watch.  Like this: After Brothers McMullen made a big splash at Sundance, Ed was offered $18 million to make his next movie “She’s the One”.  He decided to make it for $3 million instead.  His reasoning was this – if he made the film for $18 million and it lost money, he might not get another chance to make a movie. If he made it for $3 million he’d have a better shot at the movie making a profit and then he’d have more opportunities to make more movies, which is what he loves doing. He just wanted to keep making movies.

Do you see the brilliance in that?  How many people do you know that would pass up an extra $15 million dollars?  Think about all the fabulous, shiny things he could have put in his movie with that $15 million.  Instead, he chose to make a movie that would give him his best shot at continuing to do what he loves.  In essence, he passed up the big bucks in the short term, to follow his dream further down the path. Burnsie is even further down the movie-making path these days, and he seems to be operating way ahead of the curve releasing his movies through VOD (Video on Demand), reaching out to his audience through social media and having a conversation with the people that will love his movies.  Forward thinking. Maverick. Rock Star, fer sure.

What I learned from Ed Burns (I should say, ONE of the things I’ve learned because there have been so many) is this:

Figure out what you love to do and go do it to the best of your ability.  Study it, get really good at it, give yourself completely to it. Don’t just go for the big bucks.  There’s something to be said for doing good work and taking pride in it and doing it to the best of your ability.

Ed happens to be in the business of story-telling, he’s really good at it.  He’s not the guy with the billion dollar summer blockbuster, his twitter profile says “I make those small talky New York movies about the Irish guys from Long Island”. He’s been successfully making those small, talky movies for over 15 years now.  He’s doing work he loves.  He’s connecting with people and inspiring them to go for their dreams.  His latest movie release “Nice Guy Johnny” is out on DVD and I highly recommend it.  Ironically, this movie is also about the decision to sell out and take a job that is soul-sucking just to make the big bucks OR to follow your dreams and do what you love.  Watch the trailer:

I’d love to know if “Burnsie” ever struggled with these questions and what he did and how hard or easy was it for him? Is it just my overactive, analytic mind that makes me feel so confused and crazy sometimes? Or does everyone struggle with these questions?

From the outside looking in, it sure feels like “Burnsie” is getting it right.  And he’s inspiring me to look deeper at what inspires me, what motivates me, what story do I want to tell with my life?

Thanks Ed.   For the inspiration.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far….

maybe sometimes it is about the money when you’ve got to pay the bills, but in our pursuit of the cha-ching and the ba-bling, let’s pause to soak up some happy times and make the world (and our loved ones) dance a little bit.

 

Here’s the video for Jesse J’s song Price Tag and I’ve copied the lyrics below.

Seems like everybody’s got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night.

When the sale comes first, And the truth comes second, Just stop, for a minute and Smile
Why is everybody so serious Acting so damn mysterious

Got your shades on your eyes And your heels so high That you can’t even have a good time
Everybody look to their left (yeah) Everybody look to their right (ha) Can you feel that (yeah)

We’re paying with love tonight It’s not about the money, money, money We don’t need your money, money, money We just wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag Ain’t about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang. Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling Wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag.
Okay! We need to take it back in time, When music made us all unite

And it wasn’t low blows and video ho’s, Am I the only one getting tired

Why is everybody so obsessed Money can’t buy us happiness

Can we all slow down and enjoy right now Guarantee we’ll be feeling Alright.
Everybody look to their left (yeah) Everybody look to their right (ha) Can you feel that (yeah) We’re paying with love tonight It’s not about the money, money, money We don’t need your money, money, money We just wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag Ain’t about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang. Ain’t about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling Wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag.
[B.o.B] Yeah yeah Well, keep the price tag And take the cash back Just give me six strings and a half stACK. And you can keep the cars Leave me the garage And all I.. Yes all I need are keys and guitars And its with in 30 seconds I’m leaving to Mars Yeah we leaping across these undefeatable odds Its like this man, you can’t put a price on the life We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice every night So we ain’t g’on stumble and fall never Waiting to see this in the sign of defeat uh uh So we g’on keep everyone moving their feet So bring back the beat and then everyone sing
It’s not about the money, money, money We don’t need your money, money, money We just wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag Ain’t about the (uh) Cha-Chang Cha-Chang. Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling Wanna make the world dance, Forget about the Price Tag.

The other day my youngest daughter said;

“Hey Mom, I heard your new theme song.”

(My old theme song was by the fabulous J Lo)
It’s by Bruno Mars and I haven’t stopped singing it since I heard it.  I’ve pasted the lyrics below so you can sing along, too.  I hope you get to have a Lazy Day soon!

The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars

Today I don’t feel like doing anything

I just wanna lay in my bed

Don’t feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone

‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything

I’m gonna kick my feet up then stare at the fan

Turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants

Nobody’s gon’ tell me I can’t
I’ll be lounging on the couch just chilling in my Snuggie

Click to MTV so they can teach me how to dougie

‘Cause in my castle I’m the freaking man
Oh yes, I said it, I said it I said it ’cause I can

Today I don’t feel like doing anything

I just wanna lay in my bed

Don’t feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone

‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything Nothing at all, nothing at all
Tomorrow I’ll wake up, do some P90X

Find a really nice girl, have some really nice sex

And she’s gonna scream out This is great (Oh my god, this is great)
Yeah, I might mess around And get my college degree

I bet my old man will be so proud of me But sorry pops, you’ll just have to wait
Oh yes, I said it, I said itI said it ’cause I can
Today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed

Don’t feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone

‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything
No, I ain’t gonna comb my hair ‘Cause I ain’t going anywhere No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I’ll just strut in my birthday suit And let everything hang loose Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed

Don’t feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone

‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything
Nothing at all Nothing at all Nothing at all

For more info on Jsu’s new movie, visit http://www.TheWayshower.com & check their Facebook page for the latest screenings http://www.Facebook.com/TheWayshowerMovie

“The Road to Fabulous” is a Virtual Cocktail Party® hosted by Sandy Grason that introduces you to the world’s most fabulous people, while giving you a roadmap to create a fabulous life that feeds your soul. Mix fun & fascinating interviews with savvy & successful personalities then add a splash of practical tips that you can apply in your own life – today. Think “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous meets The Charlie Rose Show”.
Join Sandy for a celebration of life, shoes, Hot Moguls, building an Empire and finding your Mojo.

Today’s Journalution Prompt is an attempt to get you out of that ‘same-old-same-old’ thing and into something a little more fun and faaaaabulous ~

Let’s go! At the top of a blank piece of paper write “My List of FUN”

Now, set a timer or look at the clock and for 10 minutes write as fast as you can, without editing, all the fun things you love. Don’t think! Just Write. Don’t judge, don’t give yourself time to wonder if ‘that’s not fun’ or ‘that’s not a good idea’ or even ‘that’s stupid’. Just let the thoughts fly onto the page as fast as your brain can spit them out.

The trick here is to turn off that inner critic, the one that judges every single thing you write.

Just ignore your chattering mind and write anything and everything you think is fun. Big things and little things. M&M’s with peanuts, bubble baths, a great pedicure, swinging in the park with my head upside down, staring at the clouds, bubbles, a really great book, fresh snow, fresh sheets, fabulous shoes, chocolate, champagne, playing guitar, rockin’ on stage in front of thousands, one hour with nothing and no one waiting on me to do something! These are just a few ideas to get you started.

When your ten minutes is complete, survey your list of FUN. What can you do tomorrow? What needs a little more planning?

Your mission,( if you choose to accept it) is to pick one thing per week and give yourself that FUN! One thing, every single week. Some weeks it will be something big, others it will be something very simple. A really good cup of coffee in the morning, a piece of rich, decadent chocolate.

When you do this, you will find that even the simple things will take on more meaning, more significance, because you will approach them with INTENTION.

And bringing intention to your everyday life is what having a really incredible and amazing Life is all about!

Send me your List of FUN!

Do this writing prompt and you will feel almost as excited as you did in grade school when the bottle landed on you!

Take the next seven minutes and write down at least seven things you feel grateful for. It will shift your mood immediately. Now see if you can keep this up for seven days. It doesn’t matter when you do this – morning, noon or night. Just try for seven days, to gather seven things to write down. It’s only seven days; if you miss a day, just keep going. Start right there in the moment when you notice something you’re grateful for, and jot it down. Right that second!

Don’t beat yourself up for forgetting to write sooner; just move forward with your gratitude. You can write,

“I’m so grateful I remembered to do this,” and keep going with your day.

Some days it may feel like the only thing to be grateful for is that the day is over. That’s okay, too. It won’t be long before you notice the shifts – a slight feeling of lightness as you wake up, a bounce in your step, smiling at strangers.

These are some of the little ways in which gratitude can seep into your day. There is no wrong way to do this. Just have fun, make it a game, and see what happens.

Here’s a journal entry from my husband, made when I was nudging him to keep a gratitude journal:

1. I am so grateful that Denver just won the Super Bowl.
2. I am so grateful that I’m about to sleep for eight hours.
3. I am so grateful that I have shelter from the elements.
4. I am so grateful that I am in good health and my family is in good health.
5. I am so grateful that Sandy stopped yapping about journaling.

~excerpted from JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life & Manifest Your Dreams (New World Library, 2005)