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This quote is taken from the book My Stroke of Insight by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor.  The book is reviewed elsewhere on this site.

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For many people in the world, life is extremely tough and finding positives in their lives may be very difficult or even impossible.  However, for many of us there are aspects of our lives for which we can be grateful.  These may be major aspects like our careers, our families, our financial status, and major events in our lives – marriage, the birth of a child and so on.  But there are also many other aspects of our lives, or events in our lives, that may appear as minor but for which we should be grateful.

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In this context, you should consider keeping a Gratitude Diary.  There is much information available online in how to do this.  There are different formats that the diary can take.  They are all about keeping a list of things for which we are grateful but there are many different practices in how this can be done.  Some people write a list of things at a particular point in their day, for example early in the morning or late at night.  Some write a fixed number of things only.  Some will note things as they occur during their day.  Find a format that works for you.

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I have been keeping a Gratitude Diary for just over a year.  I buy a physical Yearly Diary with space for a weekly entry, and individual daily entries.  Each week I enter one major aspect of my life for which I am grateful, for example my family, my health, my financial stability and so on.  Also, each night I consider my day, and I note one aspect of my day for which I am grateful.  This can be something major but, in most cases, is something relatively minor, for example having a nice meal, hearing birdsong on a walk, the weather, playing with one of my grandchildren, having a coffee with a friend, the friendship of that friend, or something else triggered by what happened during the day.

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Keeping the diary in this way has a number of benefits:

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• I am conscious throughout the day of considering what I am grateful for.  Therefore, I am more positive during the day.

• I finish my day with a sense of gratitude and in a positive frame of mind.

• At the end of one year, I have over 400 things for which I am grateful, ranging from very major aspects of my life to relatively minor ones.

• If a day isn’t going well or something negative occurs, I take out my diary and reflect on what I have written - all the positives in my life.  It doesn’t mean that the negative event goes away, but it does give me a real perspective and I realise that even when negative events occur, there are hundreds of other aspects of my life for which I am grateful.

 

However, as I mentioned above, there are many different formats of Gratitude Diary.  Find one that you think will work for you and start the practice.  Consider the major aspects of your life for which you are probably grateful anyway.  But, more importantly, consider the minor, day-to-day aspects of your life and realise that there is so much in your life for which to be grateful.  It means that you will have a much more positive view of life.  When things go wrong, reflect on the entries in your diary and you will find perspective which will help you to cope with whatever life throws at you.

 

When I am simply grateful, life is simply great. 

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Update - 12th February 2026

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Gratitude Practice 2024 & 2025

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During 2024 and 2025 I maintained a diary as presented in the earlier post above.  This meant that at the end of 2025 I had completed two annual diaries with over 100 “major” items and over 700 “minor” items, although in this context nothing is really minor.  So, while there was some duplication, I now have about 800 items listed for which I am grateful in my life.

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What is in my Gratitude Diary?

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There is a huge variety of items listed in my Gratitude Diary.  They include family members (both collectively and individually), my health, my financial resources, my education, my career, my marriage, my garden, my friends (collectively and individually), my social engagements, hearing birdsong, sunshine, spending time with grandchildren, my granddaughter’s smile, the harvest from my garden, my fruit trees, and even something as mundane as my garden spade.  The scope is endless and can cover all aspects of one’s life.

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Gratitude Practice 2026

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For 2026, I decided to alter my “Gratitude Practice” just to freshen up the practice and to do something different.  So, for this year, the first thing that I do each morning is to read one week of entries (eight entries) from the Gratitude Diaries that I completed over the past two years.  I read the list twice.  I then set a timer for three minutes.  I close my eyes and take a deep breath and say to myself the phrase “I am grateful”.  I repeat this for the three minutes.  I don’t specify anything but just let any random thoughts arise or maybe no thoughts.  Sometimes, I will think of something that I have read from the diaries, sometimes something else about gratitude enters my thoughts, sometimes a random thought will appear, and sometimes no extra thoughts appear.  I just let whatever happens happen.

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Benefits

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The practices that I followed for the two years, and now this year, have been hugely beneficial for my well-being, have been uplifting, and make life and living more enjoyable and rewarding.  I now find myself reflecting at different times during my day on something about which I am grateful, or I reflect upon how privileged I am.  Gratitude is now embedded in my subconscious mind and is triggered, with or without my conscious initiation, during my day and appears in my conscious mind.

In terms of time, during 2024 and 2025 the practice took no more than a minute or so.  For 2026 the practice takes less than four minutes.  It does not take a lot of time and is well worth the effort.

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Future

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I am committed to continuing this current practice for 2026.  Next year, I may change my Gratitude Practice, and may complement it with a meditation, breathing, or journalling practice.

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Conclusion

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I have found and developed a Gratitude Practice that works for me.  I recommend that you find a Gratitude Practice that works for you.  It is hugely rewarding and does not have to take a large amount of time.  Everyone should be able to find the time to do so.  The benefits are wonderful and life-enhancing.

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When I am simply grateful, life is simply great.