Thinking about how a gratitude journal affects one's outlook or reality brings to mind other peoples' vacation photographs. Think of the last time you visited friends and they showed you their photos from their last vacation. Every photo was of some beautiful place, perhaps nearby or far away, with everyone smiling and enjoying the moment. Their entire trip summed up with snapshots of laughter, adventure, exquisite cuisine. If you've never been to that particular vacation spot you left wanting to plan a trip soon.
Now, think about your last vacation. Was it really all photo album of smiles or was it annoying having to tip every person from the airport baggage handler to the hotel bellhop? Was fun instantly around every corner or just another 2 hour wait for 30 seconds of "thrills and excitement?" Do the photos of your last vacation remind you of the highlights you had and see in the images or do you remember the lowpoints and arguments?
Forty, ten, or even perhaps three short years from now, you'll forget the lowpoints and simply cherish the pleasant memories as if they were other people's snapshots. That reality molding phenomenom that occurs with vacation photos, to me, is the very essence of gratitude journalling. However, the power of the glog is that it is a daily shaping of your reality; instantly gratifying the moment you put it to paper (or post it to your glog ;-). Remember the highs and let go of the lows.
True, not every moment is a high; just as not every second of your last vacation margaritas and beautiful sunsets. Yes, there are going to be some $100 cab rides to go 2 miles up the road. Learn from that mistake, but don't make that the experience. The experience is the breath-taking vista from your hotel room when you finally arrive. The reality: the first timed photograph on the balcony where your wife is ready for the catwalk and you are a deer in headlights hurrying to make it in the shot. What a laugh, what a memory, be grateful in that moment.
