I know it seems cliché this time of year, but yes, today I’m talking about gratitude. I’m kicking off my fourth annual challenge, and this year, I am trying to spark this form of self kindness in you too. So, our 7 Day Gratitude Challenge theme is: ‘A Question a Day to Inspire Appreciation.’
Of course, this annual exercise of thankfulness is a nod to Thanksgiving, the U.S. holiday that occurs the last Thursday of every November. But gratitude is also closely linked to kindness. How? It’s an opportunity to be kind to ourselves.
Simply put, practicing gratitude is good for us. Research has shown us that it improves our health and well-being by decreasing stress and anxiety and can even positively impact our sleep.
My first gratitude challenge hit all the biggies in my life: kids, husband, dog, etc. With each new year, I have to get more creative. My second challenge’s theme was “the little things” (think morning sun and winter fires) and the third’s was exercising gratitude for the essentials of life that are sometimes challenging–like technology.
This year, I want to make to make it easier to get YOU involved. Thus, the theme of this year’s 7 Day Gratitude Challenge is: A Question a Day to Inspire Appreciation. Every day for the next week, I will present a question and my own answer. I hope that each question compels you to take a moment to pause and reflect during this busy time of year. And as an added bonus, your answers could even spark those warm feelings of joy and gratitude.
My yoga instructor said something I thought was very funny. “Happy Thanksgiving or Good Luck! Whichever one you need.” Today, I can happily say that I can embrace the full Happy Thanksgiving well wish.
A big part of that is also what is unique about my day. I’m very grateful that I’m not hosting dinner tonight! It’s the first time in many years, and I am sincerely grateful! I’m looking forward to different food, good friends, and trying new traditions – like bringing an ornament to demonstrate what you’re grateful for this year.
I think this question is a hard one to answer. But I’m going to go with our place in Florida. I don’t know if it’s so much about the place–even though Clearwater, Florida is quite nice. I think it’s more about the time spent there. For me, it’s the memories of lazy holidays with our family. Sipping morning coffee on our balcony is one of my all time favorite things to do.
I’ve gotten lots of great advice, but a recent one that really stuck with me was from my sister, Mary. When I moved back to the states and was considering different volunteer and work opportunities, I needed to determine how many hours per week I could designate to one organization who wanted me to join their team. She said to me:
“Set your boundaries conservatively. It’s a lot easier to let them out than to rein them back in.”
Thanks, Mary. Wise words in business and in life.
“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl is my pick. I don’t know what’s more impressive to me–that Frankl managed to survive a concentration camp or the fact that he was able to gain incredible insight amidst the terror of his experience.
To make this book even more special, my current copy was one of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received. I have always loved this book, and I frequently recommend it. I was trying to find it to lend it to my daughter when I realized I had misplaced it or given it away without recollection of to whom. I had taken notes in my book, so I was extra sad to lose it and my own insights and thoughts.
Last Christmas, my daughter gave me a new copy of the book–complete with her own notations. Oh yeah, I cried.
Hands down–nachos. Yum. Once, I tried serving them to my kids as dinner. They thought I was joking, looking for the main after I brought out the tray. But if I’m having an indulgent night on my own–nachos and beer it is.
For me, sight. One of my favorite, most restorative things to do is stare into the trees and watch as the sunlight changes on the leaves as they sway in the wind.
My high school english and journalism teacher, Mary Lee McCoy, is the first person that comes to mind when I ask myself this question. In fact, I’ve written about her before in one of my first articles:
“My high school english and journalism teacher was a fierce woman, and I wanted to be just like her. At my all-girls high school, Mrs. McCoy was direct and never tiptoed around our emotions; she had high expectations of us and made them very clear. Mrs. McCoy laughed loudly, shopped compulsively, and intrigued us with her life stories. She taught me how to organize my thoughts and always strive for excellence.”
Sadly, Mrs. McCoy passed away long before this world was ready to let her go. But not before she made an indelible mark on so many of our hearts.
