I visited the London offices of Dimensional Fund Advisors a few weeks ago and was intrigued by a book in the waiting area.
It’s called The Five-Minute Journal, and I found myself talking about it with David Jones, Head of Financial Adviser Services for Dimensional’s EMEA division. David, it turns out, is a fan of it himself and he suggested I gave it a try.
I must say, I have little time for self-help books and the usual mumbo-jumbo around self-improvement and positive thinking. What makes this book different is that it’s based on academic evidence.
I’m sure many TEBI readers are familiar with it already, but for the benefit of those who aren’t, it essentially makes you focus on, and keep a record of, all the things that you’re grateful for. Research has consistently shown that developing an attitude of gratitude can boost our mental health and wellbeing.
It’s still early days, but my initial experience of The Five-Minute Journal has been positive. I’ll let you know how I get on.
In the meantime, this new interest in gratitude has prompted an article I’ve just written for the RockWealth blog. If you find it interesting, please do share it, and I’d love to hear your thoughts:
Robin is a journalist and campaigner for positive change in global investing. He runs Regis Media, a niche provider of content marketing for financial advice firms with an evidence-based investment philosophy. He also works as a consultant to other disruptive firms in the investing sector.
