Day 26 – March 31, 2015
1. Have been feeling so much more positive overall since beginning this gratitude diary.
2. Wrote another blog post. Finished, just needs editing.
3. Delicious chocolate pudding.
4. Solved a small technical problem by myself.
5. Came across some positive inspiring websites.
6. New likes for my Facebook page.
7. Had an amazing sandwich with delicious perfectly ripe avocado and tomato.
8. Found a new recipe to try.
9. Got supermarket shopping done quickly.
10. Made a quick awesome necklace for myself with a big crystal and sparkly sequined material.
Day 25 – March 30, 2015
1. LOADS of likes for new necklace I shared in handmade groups on Facebook and new likes for my page.
2. Enjoyed yoga class.
3. Cleaned up my Twitter feed so I’m getting more things from people I want to see.
4. Feeling generally quite positive.
5. Views on Etsy are massively up today thanks to Facebook interaction.
6. Practised singing and guitar.
7. Found headstand easier than usual to hold for a long time in class today – felt more relaxed.
8. Ate lots of healthy delicious food.
9. Took some great photos of necklace, edited them and listed on Etsy really quickly – getting so much more efficient at doing this.
10. Remembering how good writing made me feel yesterday makes me feel optimistic and encourages me to get back into the habit.
Day 24 – March 29, 2015
1. Wrote another blog post which I’m really happy with: From Heavenly Heights To Troglodyte Life in Cappadocia, Turkey.
2. Lots of new favourites on my Etsy items.
3. The difference editing photos can make. I am particularly pleased with this one:
4. Sense of online community I feel.
5. Having good memories come back to me in the process of writing about my travels.
6. Had another amazing chocolate pudding!
7. Did some yoga.
8. Felt relaxed wearing my pajamas so it felt like a typical lazy sunday, although I was still quite productive!
9. Applied the realization I wrote about here to the things I did today. Sometimes I do take my own advice, and it works!
10. Received nice message from a friend.
Day 23 – March 28, 2015
1. Had a great sing.
2. Listened to some amazing singers on YouTube.
3. Had amazing chocolate pudding!
4. Enjoyed trying on lots of beautiful dresses – bridesmaid dress shopping for best friend who is getting married. It was really fun and it boosted my confidence to see myself looking good in lovely dresses.
5. Made a really awesome necklace.
6. Did an hour of yoga.
7. Shared lots of jewellery photos on Facebook.
8. The food I made for dinner didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, but it was fun making something new and it actually tasted quite good despite looking horrible!
9. Watched loads of episodes of Dinner Date which was hilarious and nice to have a bit of a TV watching session!
10. Getting the tortoises back for the weekend soon!!!!
Day 22 – March 27, 2015
1. Practised singing and playing guitar.
2. Did an hour of yoga.
3. Had a lovely walk to the post office in the sunshine.
4. Had a delicious dinner – made curry but put it in a wrap and somehow it tasted so much better that way!
5. New likes on my Facebook page.
6. Phoned my friend who has moved away from Bristol and had a nice chat. She was very pleased to hear from me.
7. Published my first proper blog post in over a month – so glad to be writing again.
8. Making a necklace with a beautiful amethyst crystal – I love seeing creations come to life!
9. A friend and her partner both want massages – it’s so nice to be able to do this for my friends.
10. Had a nice conversation with my grandma.
Day 21 – March 26, 2015
1. Receiving a lovely note from customer with order – I really appreciate when interactions are more personal like this because it reminds me of why I do what I do.
2. Practised singing and playing guitar.
3. Felt really good after having a massage.
4. Started writing again.
5. Realized why I’d been feeling a bit stuck lately.
6. Delicious chocolate pudding.
7. Delicious sweet potato, falafel, aubergine and spinach wrap.
8. My friend gave me a beautiful painting she did.
9. Discussed with friend the possibility of doing a market stall for my jewellery – she can put me in touch with the market manager.
10. Discovered some new awesome sellers on Etsy.
Day 20 – March 25, 2015
1. Received an amazing 5* review from a customer on Etsy.
2. Positive online interactions and people reading and commenting on my blog.
3. Positive reaction to items posted on Facebook.
4. Shared my holistic massage page on local business groups.
5. Joined new Facebook groups to share on.
6. Went to volunteer at the nightshelter.
7. Went to kundalini yoga class and managed to do even the more challenging exercises, gradually expanding my limitations.
8. Had a good talk with my dad.
9. Set up Google Analytics on my website.
10. All the amazing help available for free online related to the technical side of running a website.
Day 19 – March 24, 2015
1. Made an amazing roasted sweet potato, aubergine, spinach wrap for dinner.
2. Got my supermarket shopping done quickly and without getting too stressed!
3. Received some lovely compliments about my jewellery and new page likes.
4. Received first ever comment on my blog from a stranger – my site is getting found yay!
5. Massively improved photos of one of the necklaces I have re-listed.
6. My SEO efforts on Etsy produced a slight improvement in page ranking.
7. Had lots of energy this morning.
8. Loved how a prehnite pendant I made looked layered with another gemstone necklace.
9. Had some clarity about lifestyle photos I want to create for my blog.
10. Held handstand for a really long time!
Day 18 – March 23, 2015
1. Learned some new things in yoga class.
2. Delicious crumpet snack with sundried tomato paste and hummus.
3. One of my massage clients told me he has recommended me to a friend.
4. Lots of likes and compliments for new item posted on Facebook.
5. New page likes.
6. Felt relieved and calm to get back to jewellery making again.
7. This really awesome inspiring article I came across re travel blogging.
8. Did some SEO on my jewellery item titles for my Etsy shop
9. Looking at photos on bohemian lifestyle blogs has inspired me to let loose a little and take some self portraits and other experimental photos, without worrying too much about them being ‘perfect’.
10. Feeling more able to go with the flow.
Day 17 – March 22, 2015
1. Had great idea for jewellery photos.
2. Massively improved veggie gravy by adding marmite!
3. Received some lovely compliments online about my jewellery.
4. Joined some more local business groups and shared my holistic massage page.
5. Feeling clearer about the purpose of my business and more focussed on that.
6. Looked back through my Pinterest “Inspiration” board and it felt amazing.
7. Had delicious roast.
8. Had an awesome nap.
9. Felt a great sense of inner balance when I woke up this morning.
10. Watched an interesting documentary about the Caribbean.
Day 16 – March 21, 2015
1. Went for a really beautiful long walk this morning.
2. Woke up early naturally.
3. The tortoises were really active today.
4. Beautiful valley and lake where I went for walk.
5. Saw amazing abandoned old mansion.
6. Felt very calm and content this morning.
7. Really delicious chocolate pudding.
8. Had a lovely evening out with friends.
9. Saw 2 friends I had not seen for a while.
10. Had a great sing.
Day 15 – March 20, 2015
1. Being outside this morning.
2. Seeing the eclipse – magical eerie light.
3. Went on a pinning spree on Pinterest – so inspiring.
4. Looking at some of my jewellery photos afresh, even the ones I was not so pleased with actually looked nice amongst pictures I have pinned of pieces that have inspired me.
5. REALLY pleased with necklace I made today.
6. Had lots of really delicious food again – makes me very happy!
7. Felt full of vitality and inspired during and after my yoga practice.
8. Seeing the tortoises stretching their muscles in the bath – sooooo cute!
9. Gave myself a great face massage.
10. Connecting with new people on Facebook.
Day 14 – March 19, 2015
1. Went for a lovely walk by the river. It was so beautiful.
2. Beautiful quartz crystal I am making a necklace with.
3. Had a relaxing morning after working really long hours yesterday.
4. Felt really energized almost immediately after I started doing some yoga.
5. Connecting with people on Twitter.
6. Made a very elaborate delicious sandwich for dinner.
7. Practised singing and playing guitar.
8. Realized that I waste a lot of energy on doubting and worrying when it would be better spent visualizing, planning and working.
9. Watched a film with my parents – the film wasn’t great but enjoyed the shared activity.
10. The tortoises were very active and really enjoyed watching them eat and explore.
Day 13 – March 18, 2015
1. Delicious snack of left over vegan pizza topping on a crumpet – amazing!!!
2. Connecting with some lovely new people on social media.
3. Expanded on my overall business vision and wrote down some ideas for future products.
4. Great reaction to some of my jewellery pictures on Facebook groups.
5. Discovered some amazing artists online.
6. Lots of new Facebook ‘likes’.
7. Arm balancing yoga postures improving.
8. The baby tortoises were extra adorable today (and hilarious!).
9. Enjoyed TV program about astrophysics even though I had no idea what they were talking about.
10. Did a lot of reading about blogging and different business models.
Day 12 – March 17, 2015
1. Vegan pizzas were great.
2. Hearing my friend sing – she has a beautiful voice.
3. She also was very complementary about my voice.
4. Learned a couple of new songs in a very short time.
5. Got photos taken and new item listed in my Etsy shop very efficiently.
6. Amazing chickpea burger for lunch.
7. Tried some new yoga postures that we’d briefly looked at in class and made a bit of progress with them.
8. Being outside in the fresh air and sunshine at lunch time.
9. The place we had lunch was really nice and had a great relaxed atmosphere.
10. Getting a clearer overall vision for my life and business.
Day 11 – March 16, 2015
1. Learning a little bit more about the world of blogging.
2. Feeling like, despite frequent doubts and fears, I am EXACTLY where I want and need to be right now.
3. Feeling peaceful reading about other people’s travel adventures, knowing that my time to travel will come round again and I will meet lots of awesome like-minded inspiring people, and make friends all over the world.
4. The light was not good today so didn’t actually take any photos, BUT I experimented with different backgrounds and props and have some ideas to try out when the weather is more suitable!
5. Was super organized and made roasted veg and tomato pizza topping ready to take to friends’ house tomorrow.
6. Went for a short walk.
7. Did some yoga – enjoyed working a little on core strength.
8. Enjoyed the novelty of watching TV for an hour when I had a stomach ache earlier and needed to lie down.
9. Made some improvements to my website.
10. My parents cooked me dinner. It was so delicious and made me very happy.
Day 10 – March 15, 2015
1. Seeing how much my Grandma enjoyed watching the tortoises.
2. Delicious roast dinner.
3. Practised singing and playing guitar.
4. Got to see a friend and make money at the same time for massaging her.
5. Really pleased with necklace I have just finished making.
6. Connecting with new people on Twitter.
7. Gave myself lovely relaxing face massage this morning.
8. Looking at pictures of jewellery I made a little while ago and appreciating the beauty.
9. Having nice food I’d made last week in the freezer to eat tonight.
10. Staying in to have a relaxing evening instead of going out.
Day 9 – March 14, 2015
1. Treating massage client with new physical challenges I had not encountered before.
2. Getting way out of my comfort zone in so many ways at a yoga and dance event.
3. Seeing a friend I had not seen in a while and hearing about her Reiki course and how transformative it had been for her.
4. Chocolate pudding.
5. New likes and interaction on my Facebook page.
6. Felt really pleased that my friend’s yoga and dance event was so successful.
7. Gave myself the morning off and enjoyed doing nothing.
8. Playing music with a friend – challenging myself to play in time with someone else was very rewarding and fun.
9. Seeing all the baby plants my friend was growing in pots all around his house.
10. Felt invigorated and refreshed after the yoga and dance, and was pleased I had made the effort to go.
Day 8 – March 13, 2015
1. Quality time with family today.
2. Went for a walk and saw lots of interesting plants and some kind of furry creature, possibly a rat!
3. My arm balances are improving – almost straightened my legs in side crow.
4. Singing.
5. Made delicious chocolate puddings with eggs from aunty and uncle’s pet rescue chickens.
6. Positive reaction to posting one of my favourite necklaces on a couple of Facebook groups… I love that people appreciate my work.
7. Had a really good stretch after walk.
8. Inspired idea to make vegan pizza this week.
9. Finding writing this easier than the last few days!
10. Feeling inspired to learn to play some songs I printed out the chords to a little while ago.
Day 7 – March 12, 2015
1. Root vegetable crisps… soooo delicious!
2. LOVELY walk with my mum in countryside near Castle Combe.
3. Really good long relaxation.
4. Joined lots of Facebook groups for local businesses.
5. Learned a bit more about the workings of my website by solving a problem I encountered myself.
6. Phyllis and Deidre (tortoise babies) ate all of their special vitamin supplements.
7. Arranged to go to ‘Hot Tub Cinema’ with friends… so excited!
8. Living so close to one of the prettiest villages in the country and having it almost to ourselves. Wandering around it with no one there was strange and wonderful.
9. Wasn’t looking forward to eating my dinner (I threw together a meal with leftover bits and pieces) but it turned out to be delicious!
10. Feeling of peace and freedom driving out of the city for the first time in a little while.
Day 6 – March 11, 2015
1. Letting Deidre the baby tortoise crawl all over me and snuggle under my jumper – quality time!
2. Had a much needed afternoon nap.
3. Read this really good blog post which reminded me that everyone goes through similar struggles with their mind not co-operating from time to time. It also has some useful tips on how to calm your thoughts.
4. Made time to sing and play guitar. At times it felt like everything was really flowing and I was able to experiment and try new things.
5. I am getting a lot more efficient at doing things related to selling online like writing item descriptions and photographing items.
6. I have learned a lot about marketing in a very short space of time.
7. My mind was very focussed during my yoga practice today.
8. Remembering that I have a very powerful creative mind.
9. Joined a networking group on Facebook for holistic therapists.
10. I have a clear list of goals from my last ‘mastermind’ meeting to work through, and have already completed 1 of them and made a start on 2 others.
Day 5 – March 10, 2015
1. Yummy vegan food at meal with friends.
2. The tortoises get cuter every day.
3. Really good chat with my mum – our communication is so much better these days.
4. Applied some CBT techniques to my thinking which was very helpful.
5. Photographed merlinite necklace and listed it on Etsy – it is such a beautiful unusual stone.
6. New likes on my Facebook page.
7. Really lovely staff at the restaurant.
8. My best friend who the meal was for felt loved because we’d got balloons and made it special for her.
9. Feeling the wonderful relaxing benefits of giving myself a face and neck massage.
10. Finding strength and empowerment through deepening self-awareness. Today was a difficult day but I am grateful for the greater awareness of my shadow side that this has given me.
Day 4 – March 9, 2015
Wow I’m only on day 4 and nearly forgot all about it already! Good job I made my commitment public…
1. A strange twist of fate means I get to keep the baby tortoises for another week!
2. Made it to yoga class even though I’ve got a cold and was feeling a bit tired – I’ve been staying in a lot lately for the smallest of reasons, so this was very good.
3. Feeling more compassion towards myself and realizing how perfect the choices I have made actually are for me right now. My life circumstances may not be perfect but I have so much more acceptance and love for myself than I have had in years.
4. I wasn’t looking forward to writing this today, but after just 3 good things I already feel much happier about my day and life in general, and I am so glad to be doing it.
5. I felt very inspired today about healing, and am truly grateful for my training and experience in the art of massage. I imagined sharing this gift with more people in the future, which made me very happy.
6. I tried on one of the pendants I made a while ago that I had just attached a chain to, and absolutely LOVED how it looked on.
7. I swear I’ve mentioned chocolate every day since I started this… Today’s chocolate gratitude mention goes to the divine vegan chocolate pudding made by my mum. Words cannot do it justice so I won’t even try.
8. Connecting with inspiring open-hearted people online.
9. Finding inspiring photos via Pinterest…
https://www.pinterest.com/tessheaven/
10. I felt inspired to put more energy into the marketing side of my jewellery business and share my offerings with more people.
Day 3 – March 8, 2015
1. Phyllis and Deidre (the baby tortoises I am looking after) seem happy and well. They are so relaxing to be around, and I adore everything about them. They are unbelievably cute.
2. Really getting the hang of eating dark chocolate without binging on it – just keeping my levels topped up nicely!
3. Keeping this gratitude diary – writing this is making me very happy!
4. Felt really happy and really appreciated the beauty of some gemstone pendants I made a while ago looking at them with fresh eyes today. Excited about putting chains on them and making them into necklaces.
5. Feeling light and graceful during my yoga practice today.
6. I had a bit of an epiphany about how to find the motivation, energy and courage to do all the work I need to do to grow a successful business. I was struggling to put it into words, but then I received this tweet which says it perfectly…
It’s a joy to share the riches of our inexhaustible inner resource @T_S_Fitz@IvanMor79062729@tessheavenpic.twitter.com/hlyfTmjXIC
— Thought Force (@thoughtforce1) March 8, 2015
I’m sure I’ve had the same epiphany several hundred times, but it really was amazing how I went from feeling like everything was a drag and not worth all the effort, to feeling super inspired and full of energy just by changing my thinking. I’m so grateful we have infinite creative potential and are blessed with imagination, and it really is a joy to share the riches!
7. Received new likes for my Facebook page – it feels so good to know people like my jewellery and posts, and I love connecting with new people.
8. A productive evening setting business goals with friends that was also fun and enjoyable.
9. Borrowed a book about blogging from a friend which brings together a LOT of information. Nice to have it all in one place to look at rather than scrolling through a billion websites.
10. DELICIOUS late night snack of hummus and sundried tomato paste on toast 🙂
Day 2 – March 7, 2015
Today’s gratitude list…
- Cuddles and bonding outside in the sunshine this morning with my gorgeous tortoise babies… I’m not going to want to give them back on Monday!
- Lovely conversation with a friend who is moving back to Bristol.
- Took some great photos of an old item in my shop that I have re-listed.
- New likes for my jewellery Facebook page and good response to things I posted on groups.
- Contacted some friends I have not seen much recently and arranged to meet up for a jam.
- Had a REALLY good sing.
- Keeping a gratitude diary – I am sure some of the things on this list wouldn’t even have happened if it weren’t for the more positive focus it has given me.
- Feeling energized during and after my yoga practice.
- Made and ate the best vegan sandwich ever for lunch – avocado, mushrooms (cooked with garlic, chili and lemon), hummus and sun dried tomato paste.
- Prioritized self-care (practising what I preach!) and made time to go for a walk.
Day 1 – March 6, 2015
I have been inspired by a blog I came across to re-start my daily gratitude journal, or as I used to call it, my list of ‘good things’. Aiming for 10 a day, so here goes…
- An obvious one – the blog that inspired me to do this http://www.crazysexyfuntraveler.com/gratitude-journal/, thank you Alexandra Kovacova!
- Feeling the benefits of getting out for a walk this afternoon.
- It was warm and sunny today.
- Deidre (one of the baby tortoises I am currently looking after) feeling comfortable enough to poop on me, literally as I was posting a picture of us on Facebook and making a joke about her saying she might! Brilliant timing on her part, or evidence that my psychic abilities are improving!
- Remembering to call my Grandma to say hello which made her happy.
- After deciding yesterday that I felt ready to increase the amount of massage work I am doing, two friends recommended me to people today without me saying anything about it.
- Partially completed two of the most tedious tasks on my to do list.
- Having the time to watch some videos from Teal Swan’s YouTube channel, and gaining some useful tools for dealing with negative emotions.
- An energizing and delicious mid afternoon snack of goji berries and dark chocolate.
- Enjoying more fluidity in my yoga practice.
And one for luck…
11. To be writing again – after the honeymoon period of blogging I’d begun to neglect my writing, but I love it. If nothing else I will at least strive to complete my daily ‘good things’ posts.
Do you keep a gratitude journal? Share your links with me in the comments section to help keep me on the straight and narrow! 🙂