Eight years ago when I was going through a difficult period of time in my life, I decided to pick up a notebook and write down all my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. As a result, I continued to write up in the notebook which eventually became my journal. To me, this notebook is the most priceless possession that I have. What eventually replaced sorrow and despair were words of encouragement, grace, and gratitude.
At the point, I decided that I was going to become a student of gratitude. Like anger, sadness, and joy, gratitude is an emotion. It is an emotion though that not many of us experience, especially on an everyday basis. Yet, it is an extremely powerful emotion to have. Having gratitude frees up everything in your life. It shifts your perception on how you see your external and internal world. Gratitude erases negative emotions like stress, irritation, anger, anxiety, and depression. The key is to practice it consistently throughout the day, not just in the morning or evening.
As a result of having a journal and practicing gratitude, there was a shift in my life. The despair and the negative emotions did not completely disappear. Yet, I know had a practice and my life has been more fulfilling on a consistent basis. The key is not perfection. The key is for mastery.
Here are the three keys that I found to be essential to have to master your internal world.
- Keep a journal. Journaling is very powerful and fulfilling. I look forward to my times alone, when I can write and share in my journal. I also love reviewing my journal including all the quotes that I have written down throughout the years.
- Practice gratitude and forgiveness. Forgiveness is the foundation to living a spiritual life according to Gabrielle Bernstein. I find that it goes hand in hand with gratitude because we cannot have one without the other.
- Listen, read, and watch things that are empowering and uplifting. What you feed your mind is every bit essential as the type of food in your body. If you feed your mind with mindless television, the news, or social media, our minds become toxic. As they say, it is garbage in and garbage out. It is imperative that we stand guard at the door of our minds.