MY THANK YOU BOOK

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Place a picture of the loveliest you or of someone or something that makes you feel thankful and oh so wonderful here and on the next page :-)

This THANK YOU book belongs to

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IN EVERY SINGLE BOOK

I read about living life fully, gratitude has always been mentioned as the very key to live joyfully. And the more I practice gratitude journaling, the happier and happier I feel every day.

Voila! The key is ‘practice’. It’s easy to just think or know that gratitude is the magic key to happy life but if you don’t practice it, and if you don’t mean it, then for sure it would just stay as a file in your memory... or a knowledge somewhere far far away in the sky.

As a crazy-about-journaling person I am, I found that gratitude journaling is a very effective way to express and record my ‘thankyou’s to life, for all the wonderful things that came my way. And after sometime, I love taking another peek and reading my old journal pages again and here are some lessons I got: 1.

writing your thank-you’s in your journal is about practicing to notice things that work in your life, wonderful things that came your way, all the blessings you‘re showered with every day. And guess what, all of that makes you feel so good. And that’s the most important aspect of this journaling: it makes you feel good.

2.

and because you choose to notice the good things in your everyday life, guess what, they keep coming back! In fact, have you ever heard this quote: “energy flows to where attention goes?” I think it’s so true. So, if you focus your attention to things you love, then

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g ‘ uaranteed’ chances are that you will only see, hear, feel and experience more of what you love. Because that’s where your attention is. Your brain will discard the rest. Wonderful fact, isn’t it?

3.

it also works with goals, intentions, and dreams. I love dreaming, and imagination is a very safe and magnificence ‘starting place’ ‘for all your dreams. Even for all great artists and innovators, every single work begins in their imaginations. I learned that, when combined with sincere gratitude, imagination would become powerful visualization and I’ve experienced so many moments where things just fell into places, making the best parts of my dreams, intentions, and goals come true, effortlessly. And of course, so beautifully!

In this book I’ll share with you what I’ve learned from practicing gratitude journaling - my current favorite! It’s actually a tweaked version of my old version of journaling (you can read about it in Amretasgraphics Blogzine issue 2) - where the ‘thank you’ list is only part (though I put it as the first part) of the whole journal. Now with My Thank You Book version of journaling, you will find “thank you’s” inserted in every part of the journal.

With time, you will find it easy (and fun!) to do the gratitude journaling.

Start, and just do. You will get some tips from me, but there is no rule, and there is no right or wrong. Follow your heart, and follow what you love -> -> WHAT YOU LOVE = TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

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How to use this book “...that is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way” -- Doris Lessing On the next pages you will find a guided journaling system that you can follow - but again, there no right or wrong in practicing this journaling, you can fill in all parts or just take what makes you FEEL GOOD (oh, I guess, indeed there is one rule, and this is it: what you write has to make you FEEL GOOD! :-)) But here’s a tip: all parts of the journaling will start with the word “THANK YOU” or “I AM GRATEFUL” or “I AM THANKFUL”... words that express how grateful you are, and then, you write things you love, place pictures or inspiration you love, create art you love... and I think - and I’m certain - naturally you will feel good and refreshed.

It is also very good to set intention and have your journal easy to reach whenever you are inspired and want to jot down lovely thoughts that come across your mind. Have it handy in your bag along with one or colorful pens that make you just happy to write. You can print out the pages from this journal, or if you’re like me (who tend to write and write and write and limitation of place makes me...well, limited - and here in this journal you should be free), you can use a notebook and

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printout only the headings of your choice, cut and paste them on to your notebook, on the place you want - no limit! :o) Besides noticing the blessings and the things you love and you’re grateful of, this journaling also incorporates creative and intention and dream journalings. Everybody is creative but you need to appreciate your creativity in order for it to be natural part of your daily life. In this journal, you will be given assignment to express your thanks of the day through creative art, one thing a day if you want. In this space you can also collect things that make you feel grateful or that remind you how blessed you are, one thing a day. You decide (for me, collecting is also an act / expression of creativity). I collect leaves from trees or plants on the street, especially when I’m traveling. It makes me think of abundance that surrounds me. Some other days I made a small page of doodles a day. And when I felt so abundantly inspired, I just made a collage of leaves, teabags, printouts from internet and cutouts from magazines, etc. One day, when you feel like having a sucky day... go through pages of your creative thankful journals and you will be instantly reminded of the blessings you have received and also instantly you will feel better!!

From what I’ve learned from journaling, your intention can be so powerful when you start with Thank You + firm belief and trust that the best is already yours. Intention journal is a really safe place to jot down all that you have in mind, and even though during the day you find that not everything goes the way you’ve imagined, what you’ve poured out in the intention journal would help you go through all odds

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knowing that the universe has better ideas as well as its own special way to bring the best to you. Of course you’ll know it, you focus your attention to the bright side of everything that happens to you. Gratitude journaling will help you to look at and to look for the newly open doors instead of the closed windows.

Lately I love writing intention journal in the morning and so I call this section “HELLO, MORNING” - and start with (for example) “Thank you for a restful sleep and a lovely morning sun...”, I list things I feel love for that morning (remember: THINGS YOU LOVE = THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR) and after that, I start envisioning the great day I so love and am deeply grateful for. Always, start with “THANK YOU”, so your entry could look like this: “Thank you for a lovely walk to work passing by the field behind the big building where I can listen to the wind singing through fresh green grass and banana trees..”

I remember when I wrote those lines in my journal, probably the words sank into my brain, it helped me to be mindful so when I walked through the open field that day, it seemed like my brain automatically scanned the sound of the wind singing through the grass and the banana trees!

Another favorite of mine in this Thank You Book is the dream journaling, which I call “MY FASCINATING LIFE”. As I mentioned this is a tweaked version of my old journaling and I still love it so much. And like other tweaked parts, now the journal starts with “Thank You for...” and then write about all those things you really really want in your fascinating life. Yes, it takes one very courageous thing to do this: imagination.

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Write the experience in details, and feel as if they already happened.

Give thanks (and mean it) everywhere wherever possible to insert the word. It must make you feel superduper good after you finish writing.

A new section in my current journals (compared to the old version) is the one I call “BLESS THE BILLS” section :o) It’s a completely fun new way for me to see the bills and my expenses. Probably like many other people I used to feel not-so-good whevener I received bills or looked at my expenses. But now I decided to give thanks for the bills, for the money that I give away, it means that I have all the blessing to have and do things I want. So, instead of just piling the bills in the drawer, each night now... I make a collage out of them in the journal! (giggling just to think of it now :o)). I bless those bills and thank the universe for the good things I received and enjoy, and those bills are the proof!

And yes, there is also a very important part of the journaling where you actually have to allow the good things to happen to you, and it starts with feeling that you’re such a wonderful person that you deserve all those fantastic things in the world! :o) In my blogzine, about my ‘old version’ of journaling, I explained about the game to play in this section I call “OH SO WONDERFUL ME”: you will have to notice the cool things you did during the day that makes you feel ‘wow’ and fabulous. The game stays the same in this new version of journaling, except that, you already know by now, you will start with “THANK YOU...” Wonderful isn’t it, to be thankful for being the wonderful person that you are!

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I had a lot of fun (and laughs) practicing this. It can be something you notice yourself, or even what your friends said about you. I didn’t really understand this until one day as I was sitting together with my friend Fina, on our computers figuring out how the javascript for my add-tocart button worked. I had never edited a javascript before, so it was quite a challenge. After sometime of trial and error, guess what, finally I got it! The add-to-card button on my online used-book shop www. garagesalebuku.com did work the way I want it to! I felt so excited that spontaneously I just said “woooow I’m sooo goooood!” - Fina, jumping to see the screen on my computer, just looked at me and laughed. “You ARE good. You didn’t know that? Then now you know!” Then we laughed out loud together and almost like magically something shifted. I felt “WORTH IT” - and boy, didn’t it make me feel SO GOOD! The following evening I noted down what I had just experienced, and again, I had this feel-good excitement and since then I LOVE playing this little game! It takes a little bit of practice since probably you’re not that used to it, but you will! It can be about something small and simple such as, you remember to say “Thank You” 10 times this morning, you call and say “I love you” to your mother and it makes her so very happy! You name it. I guarantee, after sometime, you will be amazed at how much wonderful things about you that you can list in your journal, and your self esteem will skyrocket. I find it so effective when you say it outloud too, with excitement, feel it, and note it down in your journal.

You see, you’re a wonderful person so you deserve to receive all the wonderful things in the world. You’re SO GOOD at it!! :-)

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Now you know you are a wonderful person, your presence in life is something to be grateful for. So let’s have a cool space in the journal to celebrate how marvelous you are today! Commit to do something good for yourself every day, give yourself a gift, you deserve it. Give thanks and write it down in the section “TODAY I TREAT MYSELF” I really love this section, too. I find it a practice to respect, value, and love yourself. In any case, you are your own best friend. Isn’t that a good way to close your journal for today? :0) Huge THANK YOU my friend for reading this book. In fact, I got giddy while writing these words :o) My life, like any other people’s, has to go through its ups and downs, but practicing this THANK YOU journaling has helped me tremendously in navigating both the calm sea and the storm, and in getting back to the top of the mast again, by focusing on the blessings, abundance and the good things in everyday life. You see, my friends, in some points of your life, you must experience extraordinary things that are reserved specially for you by the Universe. Those experiences that are so perfect for you, because only you know the meaning. Don’t you realise, you are also blessed with unique gifts, the gifts that can’t be compared with other people’s, because these gifts have been specially designed for you.

I’m so glad and thankful for being given a chance to share some lessons I’ve learned through this e-book. If you find it useful, please pass on to your friends and share the love :-)

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Today,

Hello, Morning!

Write here about what makes you feel good in the morning when you wake up, then write about your lovely intentions for the day, starting always with “thank you for...” or “I am deeply grateful...”

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Today,

I am thankful for...

Special day: write here about what’s so special about today, this sheets can also be used for the morning journaling, to keep you aware how special today is.

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Today,

I am thankful for...

Senses: write here about lovely things you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel today.

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Today,

I am thankful for...

Experience: write here about lovely things or situation you experience today.

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Today,

I am thankful for...

Inspiration: write here about inspiration, ideas, or lessons you learned today.

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Today,

I am thankful for...

This part is for you to customise: write here about specific things you want to pay special attention to today, for example: Lovely things about mom today: Lovely things about my kids today: Lovely things about my garden today: Lovely things about my job today: Lovely things about my project today: Lovely things about my online business today:

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Today,

I am thankful for...

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Today,

I am thankful for...

Lovely things about

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today:

Today,

I am thankful for the abundance of nature and creativity I’m blessed with

Creative Space Unleash your creativity here. Draw, doodle, create a collage, write a poem, or just place pictures or things or words that make you feel good and blessed today.

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Today,

Bless the Bills I am thankful for the good things that flow abundantly into my life and that I am here to receive them. These bills are the proof.

put one red heart stamp here on this page when you finish blessing the bills *

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Today,

My fascinating life I am truly thankful

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Write here about your dreams, what you want to have, become, or experience. Basically, write about your dream life, with as much details as possible, until you can really feel it. Start with “thank you” that it already happens :o) Add pictures or other things that support your dream life. Don’t censor anything no matter how silly your imagination feels at first. Your imagination is a place where anything can happen according to your own scenario. So, why don’t you imagine the best and the most wonderful? © amretasgraphics.com 2011

Today,

Oh So Wonderful Me! Write down everything so wonderful about you today.

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Today,

I treat myself...

What gift do you give to yourself today?

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:: Sweet Summary :: Hello, Morning!

Write here about what makes you feel good in the morning when you wake up, then write about your lovely intentions for the day, starting always with “thank you for...” or “I am deeply grateful...”

I am thankful for...

Special day: write here about what’s so special about today, this sheets can also be used for the morning journaling, to keep you aware how special today is.

Senses: write here about lovely things you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel today.

Experience: write here about lovely things or situation you experience today.

Inspiration: write here about inspiration, ideas, or lessons you learned today.

Customised: write here about specific things you want to pay special attention to today, for example: Lovely things about .... today: © amretasgraphics.com 2011

Creative Space I am thankful for the abundance of nature and creativity I’m blessed with Unleash your creativity here. Draw, doodle, create a collage, write a poem, or just place pictures or things or words that make you feel good and blessed today.

Bless the Bills I am thankful for the good things that flow abundantly into my life and that I am here to receive them. These bills are the proof. put one red heart stamp here on this page when you finish blessing the bills * Š amretasgraphics.com 2011

My fascinating life Write here about your dreams, what you want to have, become, or experience. Basically, write about your dream life, with as much details as possible, until you can really feel it. Start with “thank you” that it already happens :o) Add pictures or other things that support your dream life. Don’t censor anything no matter how silly your imagination feels at first. Your imagination is a place where anything can happen according to your own scenario. So, why don’t you imagine the best and the most wonderful?

Oh So Wonderful Me! Write down everything so wonderful about you today.

Today I treat myself...

What gift do you give to yourself today?

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Red heart stamps that you can print, cut then place on your journal sheets when you finish writing. Feel it as a sign of love from Life.

Two sets of printable art-frames (three kinds each) to place lovely pictures, artwork, or other lovely things that make you happy and feel good everytime you look at them.

Bonus gifts

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thank you

AMRETA published her first web graphics in August 2000, and has created thousands of graphics by now, in her spare time after work, on weekends and holidays (and though it means she can be super busy sometimes for weeks, she’s thankful that she has a job in the information and cultural field that actually helps her practice writing and keep getting inspired). She loves journaling, and she loves playing with layouts and colours. And how she loves books! Anywhere in the world, bookstore with a huge section of illustrated (children) books is her absolute favorite place (however she’s a grown-up so she reads business books, too). She loves so much being in the countryside (hunting for mushrooms in the Swedish forests - pictured above - was so yummy!). And thanksfully, though she lives and works in the big city of Jakarta, Indonesia, there are still places in or near the city to go when she needs to be close to nature.

To see more of Amreta’s artwork, or to order customised version of this e-book, visit www.amretasgraphics.com or www.amretasgraphicsblog.com

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