Before I tell you why this journal is so important to me, let me first share why it's important for you. Watch the video below to find out some of the ways in which a gratitude practice benefits you.
I bought my first gratitude journal in 2011. Throughout that year, and the years that followed, I've noticed a significant shift in my perspective. No longer is it ok for me to just say "I'm having a crappy day" and wallow in it, because I know that at the end of each day I need to come up with something to be grateful for. Yes, I know I can always default to running water, but I try to be more creative than that. :)

In the beginning it took effort and truth be told, it started off a bit of a chore. For the first few months, not a single week went by without me writing something about the contrast. Here's an example from my birthday week in March, which also happened to be the week that one of my friends went missing in Tasmania, a deeply devastating experience for me.

It was all I could manage in the beginning, to find goodness and gratitude during tough times - I just focused on the contrast and tried to flip whatever what the lack was. Other days I tried to think about what something I was grateful I didn't have or do (shingles, scabies, etc. - I actually wrote down both of those at one point).

Here's the most interesting part: over time, it became a habit. Where others saw obstacles I began to see opportunities. I had trained my brain to look for the good in every context. And good golly did it make a massive difference in my disposition and outlook! Now I'm not much for labels but if I was, I probably would have identified as a realist prior to the beginning of 2011. I don't know when exactly, but somewhere along the way between then and now I became an optimist. I know that my gratitude journals have played a big part in that.

So, why did I feel so compelled to make one? For several reasons:
1. Every time I bought one and surveyed the selection, I couldn't find the journal I had in my mind's eye. I wanted something arty. Beautiful photographs of nature are lovely and all, but I was envisaging a scrapbook-type of journal in my mind. Also, I didn't want something religious. No need to mention God every other page or quote the Bible. That's great and all, but it just wasn't what I most wanted in a gratitude journal. So, I decided to make myself the one I wanted.

2. I thought it would be a brilliant gift to the world. I still do. ;) I know that no matter what we're experiencing in the world, we're not alone in it. If you love something, there is definitely someone else on this planet that does too. If you struggle with something, someone else struggling with it too. You may not know them personally, and you may be separated by miles of distance, but they are out there. I wanted to share this with them - with YOU - the other versions of me.

3. It's an example of me backing myself in my own brilliance. I train my clients to listen to theirs, so when mine spoke up again in December saying you need to actually make this happen, I decided to stop sitting on the idea and actually take action. It's also an example of me bringing my whole self to the table. My creativity is a huge part of me, and I love that in this project I have been able to fuse it with my life's purpose: providing compelling examples of the power of the mind and of our intrinsic brilliance. And viola - the journal of heARTwork and gratitude was conceived.

Why am I crowdfunding it? Well, I'm not used to asking for support and I'd like to model the vulnerability that comes from it. Lovingly asking for support, and graciously and gratefully accepting it - it's still a bit uncomfortable for me, so I know there is growth to be had in that space. But we can grow together, you and I. Me in asking for support and perhaps you in gratitude (my %231 strength according to the Values In Action inventory).

Please help me bring my project to life.

I'm asking for $7,500 which is enough to fund:

$3,840 printing fees on a 500 qty print run (supporting local business and using 100% recycled paper)
$1,850 in shipping and postage fees
$1,000 in graphic design fees
$340 in Pozible/Paypal fees

And then a little bit of money leftover for me so I can financially recoup a few of the hours spent on this project. It was definitely a labour of love though, and something that I'm really thrilled to have been able to create for you.

The only risk and challenge that I can think of is that it won't come out looking exactly as I envisage it (due to the printer). But, they said they'd do a sample for me beforehand anyway, so I don't know if that's a real concern.

I choose not spend my time focused on the "obstacles to success" and rather focus my energy and efforts on what I can control. It is my intention that this will be a miraculous book and you will love it. ;)