On 30 December I saw this lovely 2017 Redstone Diary in the window of the Amnesty International bookshop near where we live, on Bristol’s Gloucester Road.  On New Year’s Eve I resolved to be more appreciative, and to keep a daily record of people and things in my life that I’m appreciative of. On Tuesday 3 January I bought the diary.  That evening I recorded that:

• I’m alive
• My family and I are safe and warm in our house, and we love each other
• It was a beautiful winter’s day today

It took about 30 seconds.  The next day, Wednesday 4 January, I forgot to fill in the diary.  This morning, Thursday 5 January, I realised I’d forgotten.  It wasn’t that there was nothing to appreciate yesterday.  I just forgot to.  I talk about appreciation a lot, and about the contribution which appreciating difference makes to diversity and inclusion.  But yesterday’s forgetting reminds me that just like inclusion, appreciation doesn’t just happen.  Simply remembering to appreciate can be the first challenge.

For a reminder of why appreciation at work matters so much, see https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu.html

For some practical advice about keeping a gratitude journal (including how to remember!) see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-jessen/gratitude-journal_b_7745854.html