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Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life

gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. online gratitude journal. gratitude quotes. gratitude journal ideas. words of gratitude. melody beattie gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.Pin

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life….  I just love that quote by Melody Beattie.

I started a gratitude journal a year and a half ago after reading one thousand gifts. It’s not a favorite read of mine. I actually would not even recommend reading past the first chapter or two, but I learned some great lessons from it. Being grateful takes practice.

I remember telling Jacob not too long ago that I feel like I am the most ungrateful person I know. I have a great life. I know it. But I find that I’m stopping myself from actually being able to enjoy life. A lot of times I tell myself that surely someone else deserves what I have because they will appreciate it more. I recently read a blog post (site is shut down now) about the act of receiving that made me realize that I have a real problem in receiving. From people. From life. From God.

Knowing is half the battle. I recognize the things I should be thankful for and then journal them, but sometimes there’s a disconnect. Sometimes I still feel so undeserving. When someone gives me a gift, rather than being thankful, my first instinct is to think inwardly. I immediately tell myself that I’m not as thoughtful, so therefore I don’t deserve gifts like this. I set a bar for myself that I rarely can reach. There’s definitely something flawed in the way I think that needs to change. I need to combat the lies I tell myself and start speaking some truths.

gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. online gratitude journal. gratitude quotes. gratitude journal ideas. words of gratitude. melody beattie gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.Pin

Here are some highlights from my gratitude journal as of late:

  1. Shooting at the LA County Fair got me excited about photography all over again
  2. Late nights at the pool tub with Lana, Nathan, & N(iiiiiiii)igh.
  3. There’s nothing better and more comfy than our own bed after a trip.
  4. Got to check out four different “cronut” places in LA and found my fave.
  5. Skype sessions with Sophia where she can tell it to me plain and straight.

I hope that my heart will eventually catch up to my head. I found a GRAD-itude linkup (no longer available) on the blogosphere after hours of clicking through random links. I like that it fosters a culture of gratitude, and I’m going to try to share more regularly. I’m learning to be more grateful one baby step at a time.

See my other gratitude posts here.

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Erika

    Esther — thank you so much for being a part of this linkup and sharing your experience! (Your blog is beautiful, by the way!) But seriously, this post really resonates with me… I’ve definitely been there when I’ve felt undeserving and felt BAD at people giving things to me… whether it was gifts or praise or love. And I think a gratitude journal is totally cool, but I can understand how sometimes you feel you need more… I think that’s where I was at. I’d kept one for about a year, but I felt like I needed to step it up a bit — have it extend past written lists and everything — so I totally feel you. I hope you’ll join us next week and beyond! :)

    1. esther julee

      Thank you for the link up! Yeah, I think the next step is probably expressing my gratitude more to people. I am a bit of an external processor so it’s probably no good that I am keeping these things inside. I think I will join for next week! :)

  2. Andrea

    What a wonderful idea to keep a journal of all the joys in one’s life!

    1. estherjulee

      are you going to join in? :)

  3. tidyupgal

    OMG I have the same issue :-(. I’m working on it as well.

    1. estherjulee

      So good to know I’m not alone in this!

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