Gratitude Diary, why we all should keep one!

Firstly, I apologise for the formatting of this post, the page hasn't loaded properly and I am too impatient to wait for another day!! Recently I engaged a business coach, with the idea that i would streamline my business practices and thereby make the gym more efficient. After two months, i have come to understand that a business coach works on people, not the business directly. And since my little studio starts and ends with me, all our sessions have focussed on a couple of key issues surrounding my personality, communication style, and interactions with both the trainers and clients. For someone as competitive as I am, I found the criticism quite demoralising, and hard to take. In addition, some of the topics we discussed were very confronting, and I found myself unable to sleep for days after our sessions. My coach suggested I begin a "Gratitude Journal", and it had an immediate effect. A Gratitude Journal, or Diary, is simply a daily list of 5 things that you are grateful for. It can be anything from a full night's sleep, to a glorious sunny day, to the joy of watching the dogs run in the park. For me, it has changed my mental attitude dramtically. When i feel irritated (which is alot) i usually snap down on whatever or whoever is the source of the irritation (right or wrong), but because nowdays i have taken a moment to notice the positive things, i feel irritated less often, and am less likely to react in the extreme manner i used to. It is a work in progress, but it makes sense to me. In the same we train our bodies in the gym (and training is SO specific to the task you are training for), it makes sense to train our minds. My goal is a clam, peaceful, and happy attitude - it makes sense that I would train that attitude, turn it into a habit, and live happily ever after! There is a great website: http://www.actionforhappiness.org/ That has activities and information to further pursue and achieve a positive outlook. I would encourage everyone to take one thing from it, and start today. Life is too short, right?!