Join me in, not just thinking gratitude, but expressing gratitude every day for the next 30 days.
The difference is that one leaves your mind about as quickly as it enters whereas the other—the expressed gratitude—makes an impression on the mind of another (that’s remembered), creates an atmosphere that’s felt, has the potential to linger (as a smile often does), and can resultantly ripple outward to touch countless other lives, too.
And the kicker is that the gratitude given to another affects the giver as much as the receiver—it’s a double positive.
There is nothing lost and everything is gained when the gift of gratitude is given away.
That said, here’s how the challenge works:
- Either share publicly (on a social site) or record privately your daily acts of gratitude.
- It must be expressed—not just thought of.
- Expressed could be shared verbally (e.g. “I just want to sincerely thank you for…”), written physically (e.g. A surprise post-it note), posted about socially (e.g. “Today, I’m grateful for ______. Join me for 30 days of expressed gratitude.”) , or even gifted tangibly (e.g. Flowers just because).
- The more specific the better. The more detailed the better. The more thoughtful the better.
- …But, “done” is the best. Don’t let “the perfect gesture” stop you from expressing at all.
And that’s it. Who’s in?! Forward this to whoever you think would join. Let’s flood our lives with positivity, warmth, and support for the next month. Lord knows we all could use it.
I’ll record my acts here. Day 1: Today, I texted a coworker expressing my gratitude for an above and beyond effort that they did with grace. :)