by Amber Hilton

Created on: February 09, 2010

A gratitude journal is a powerful tool to help break self-defeating thought patterns and establish a more positive outlook on life. By writing in a gratitude journal every day, individuals can begin to experience pure abundance in their lives and find true happiness and contentment. What better gift to give a loved one than the tools needed to find happiness and abundance in their own lives?

If you haven’t heard of a gratitude journal before today, it’s a fairly simple concept. Every day, individuals write down five or ten things that they are grateful for in their lives. These can be major things, such as the love of your family, having a job in this tough economic climate or enjoying good health, or they can be more simplistic ideas, such as your favorite ice cream flavor, funny movies or a good glass of wine. Every day, journal writers strive to come up with different things that they are thankful for and to take a few minutes to meditate on their gratitude.

Many people prefer to write in a gratitude journal at night because it helps them to wind down and think positive thoughts before they go to bed. Others prefer to write in their gratitude journal first thing in the morning because it sets a positive tone for their day.

While this might seem like an easy task, continually coming up with new ideas without repeating old standbys is difficult for many people at first. Many people spend most of their waking hours thinking and talking about negative things, such as worrying about work deadlines, complaining about relationships and fretting about debt or the current state of the world. Fortunately, cultivating gratitude is a skill that becomes easier with practice, which is, of course, the whole purpose of keeping a gratitude journal.

When making a gratitude journal as a unique gift for a friend or family member, there are two possible options. You could give one of your old gratitude journals to a close friend or family member as a treasured keepsake. They may enjoy reading your old entries and no doubt seeing their name grace the pages in various contexts from time to time. While this is a good gift idea for someone who is very close to you or as a keepsake for a loved one to remember you by, it may be too personal a gesture in some situations.

Another more popular option is to give a blank journal or notebook with instructions for how to keep a daily gratitude journal. This could be as simple as purchasing a beautiful journal at your local bookstore or office supply store and writing out a short inscription to get your loved one started on the path to experiencing abundance.

However, you could also get creative and make a gratitude notebook from scratch, using handmade papers and other craft items to create a truly unique gift. Another creative option would be to decorate a blank journal or notebook with personal touches, such as photos, inspirational quotes or various scrap-booking supplies.

The sky is the limit when it comes to making a creative gratitude journal for use as a unique gift idea. However, don’t get too caught up in presentation, because the thought is truly what counts with this gift. Also don’t forget to include an explanation of how to keep a gratitude journal or your unique gift simply becomes a regular blank notebook.

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