This entry was really interesting. I remember one of my friends began making gratitude lists in the morning (and I think at night she'd re-read them or remember them or something like that) and she said it improved her mood and outlook on life as well. But then she stopped doing them and said, "I should really get back to doing that" and I don't know if she ever did (I don't think so).

I think some of these practices work if you adopt them not just over a trial period but as part of your routine. I think if you practice changing a typically negative outlook into a positive one daily, over time it becomes habit and far less of a "to do" item than just being who you are. I don't think life is so much about what happens so much as how we see it; not that bad things don't happen or pain doesn't get experienced, but that from what I've noticed, as humans we tend to focus on the bad things and fixing them and less on the good things (unless it's to worry about when those good things are going to stop). Which is why I sometimes envy animals and trees because I'm pretty sure they're not thinking about this shit daily. :P

Have fun at those conventions!