My favorite purchase of 2020

It’s no secret that I love to shop. I’ve made my fair share of online orders this year, but there is one purchase that has completely changed my life.

The Five Minute Journal has become a part of my daily routine that I look forward to. It is exactly what it sounds like – a journal that takes five minutes a day.

It’s a prompt to practice gratitude and mindfulness. I found that about three months into quarantine I was in a funk. The Groundhog Day syndrome was real, and I needed a way to remind myself that I had a lot to be thankful for.

I started reading You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero and applying the idea of gratitude to my everyday life. She urges readers to jot down a few things that they are grateful for each day and see how it changes their lives. Sincero also has a chapter on daily affirmations, which I loved. So, I, the avid shopper that I am, took to Amazon to search for a notebook that could hold these self-affirmations and stumbled upon The Five Minute Journal. I was convinced it was something special after reading countless five-star reviews.

Each day gets its own blank page with a quote at the top. The idea is to fill out the top of the page as soon as you wake up and the bottom right before bed.

Every morning you list three things that you’re grateful for, three things that would make the day great, and one daily affirmation starting with “I am…”

Some of my personal favorite affirmations are:

• I am capable of solving any problem that comes my way
• I am a magnet for the experiences that I most desire
• I am calm and ready for my day
• I am healthy in my body and mind

The evening prompt asks for three amazing things that happened that day and one way the day could have been even better.

If you’re looking for a way to practice gratitude consistently or are trying to get into journaling, this is a great resource. It is also an awesome gift idea!

The best part about it is that you will start to notice patterns in the things that bring you joy and the things that you wish you would have done to make the day great. This has allowed me to set new goals and change my habits with intention.

I love it so much that I purchased one for my mom and she says all of the same fabulous things about it that I wrote here. It really is a special tool to learn more about yourself and live more presently.

If you start this daily journal or have another gratitude practice that you love, please let me know!

Love,

Leigh