The Daily 5

What is the Daily 5? 

Well, it's a list, recorded each evening, of a minimum of five things from that day that made me smile or laugh, or that I was thankful for.  It came out of a period in my life where I was struggling to find anything positive in my days, and began to make a concerted effort to choose to be thankful. At the time I had heard that making a daily gratitude list had the same effect on your brain chemistry as taking a mild dosage of antidepressants, and I was willing to give it a shot.  I'd been in the habit of occasionally making "smile lists" and decided to make it a daily practice for a season of time.

Now into my second year of keeping these daily lists, I find they come more naturally, they're longer, and it's easier to find things from my day that made me smile.  I'm watching for them throughout the day, making mental (and often physical notes in my phone) of things that would be great for the list that evening.  My outlook on life is happier these days, and it's easier to be positive, and I think making these daily lists have played a huge role in that.

You can read the original introduction to the Daily 5 here.
 
All of the Daily 5 lists can be found here (with the most recent first).

A selection of "Smile List" posts can be found here.