I keep a gratitude journal, and have been doing that every single day for many years. Why do I do this? Because after you do it faithfully for a few months, you start to see everything in a more positive light. It’s a feel-good mechanism.
It’s easy enough to do. Get a blank book with lined paper and write down at least five things for which you are grateful on that day. Don’t repeat yourself. Every day has something different. It could be a large thing, like you sold your first book, or you made a bestseller list. Or it could be something tiny, like the bus pulled up just as you arrived at the bus stop, or you thought you were out of bananas and then you found one.
There should be at least five, but you can add many more if you like. Some days you barely have enough room for all the good things that happened. Other days, not so much.
How does this affect writers and publishers?
It can affect a lot. Because this is not an easy business. Writing is isolating, and it’s hard—much harder than you thought it would be. Because editors have to face a lot of demands and complaints. Because authors have to face a lot of waiting and rejecting. Because we all need to value and treasure each day, even bad days.
We once had an author who published her first book and it did very well. But she thought she was a complete and utter failure because it didn’t make the NY Times Bestseller List. I felt sorry for her. She had a lot of success, but she couldn’t take it in, not even a little.
So yes, take time every day to remind yourself that no matter what, this day will never come again, for better or for worse. When you look back and read what you wrote down years ago, you will remember so many good things. Even if it was a terrible year out of a country music song—my wife left me, my dog died, and my truck was stolen—you will remember that you had a wonderful divorce lawyer, you got a new puppy, and the insurance paid for a better truck.
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