We’ve talked in the past about the fact that feeling grateful and acknowledging all the good things in our lives is a great way to increase our overall happiness. Getting in the habit of showing and experiencing more gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to increase your feeling of happiness.

It’s all good and well to resolve to feel more gratitude and become happier. Putting it into action is a little harder said than done. Thankfully there’s a simple little tool that will help you stay on track – a journal. A gratitude journal is a wonderful thing and something that can have a surprisingly big positive impact on your life. Best of all, you don’t need anything fancy. Grab a notebook and a pen, or if you prefer, boot up your computer and open up a word document.

The idea is simple. Each day you want to write for a few minutes about the various things you feel grateful for. Think back on anything that made you happy throughout the day. By listing all the positive things in your life, you’re putting them into the forefront of your mind. That alone is bound to increase your mood and make you feel happier and more accomplished.

Not only will your writing help you right away, as you compose each daily entry, you’re also creating a great memento of your gratitude and happiness journey. Pull out your journal, curl up on the couch, and read through it whenever you need a little boost of happiness. Seeing, in black and white, how far you’ve come throughout the past weeks, months, and even years is truly amazing.

As you start to read about the events and people that you felt grateful for in the past, you’re starting to relive those memories, and with it those feelings. Think of your gratitude journal as a happiness battery. You’re storing your good feelings in an easy format that allows you to access and relive them on demand. What a powerful idea.

In addition, writing and reading your gratitude journal regularly will help you form new positive habits. You’ll start to have a more positive outlook in life, and since the journal forces you to think of and find the things and people you’re grateful for on any given day, your brain will automatically start to look for the positive instead of the negative. It’s easy to see how that can have a beneficial impact on your life over time.

If you’re ready to practice gratitude and work on increasing your happiness, start writing a journal. You won’t regret it.