I hope everyone spent the last few weeks truly celebrating fall with all the wonderful activities fall brings. We sure did! We’ve spent time at Mickey’s Halloween party at Disneyland, went to the pumpkin patch, painted a pumpkin and explored a new neighborhood while trick or treating. This time of year, I always get excited for the rest of Fall and what the end of the year brings, all the holiday festivities!! This year when getting ready to plan your Thanksgiving dinner’s, your holiday parties and spending time working on your traditions with your families, why don’t we add one more tradition or if you already do this, here are a few more ideas to add. Why not try these 30 ways to an attitude of gratitude challenge? It doesn’t have to be done over 30 consecutive days but can be done throughout the rest of the year. Because for us busy mom’s and humans posting every day, doing activities or going above what our normally scheduled programming is can be tough, but try adding in these 30 ways of being grateful into the next few weeks then seeing how positive you feel can really change your end of the year perspective. The attitude of gratitude you feel and show people will strengthen all your relationships making them ready to tackle anything the next year brings.
1. Be present in your relationships. I mean really focus on how you can show the people around you that they are important to you. Maybe focus more on their love language than your own, maybe it’s a good honest conversation thanking them for all they do for you, send a handwritten note, send a token of appreciation without expecting something in return… any of these ways will show the people in your life just how grateful you are to have them there.
2. Call your parents, thank them for all that they have done for you. If you can’t thank your parents, thank someone whose made an impact in your life that you are forever grateful for. Thank them but not just with a simple thank you, explain to them why you are thankful for them, then go out and show them. Not everyone believes in words some people are action people.
3. Buy someone’s coffee, lunch, or surprise a friend with dinner. Nothing out of your budget but something unexpected that will go a long way in someone else’s day.
4. Go for a walk at sunset, thank yourself for all that you’ve been through and survived. Thank yourself for what you will go through, knowing even if there are tough roads ahead you will always be strong enough to handle them.
5. Plan a picnic yes, a real picnic. Go with your spouse, significant other, your kids, or your girlfriends. But get out and enjoy time together. Eat, drink, and most of all laugh together with the people who mean the most to you.
6. Spend a day doing something for yourself. Get a mani/pedi, a massage, get your hair done, get that new outfit or pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing. But do it, do it for yourself. Because at the end of the day, you need to take care of yourself and be thankful to you for all that you do and accomplish, being a mom, a bossbabe or a dominating female or male is hard work, so take care of yourself and treat yo self!
7. List all the things that you are grateful for. People, places, skills whatever they may be write them down. Memorize it, the easiest way to be grateful is to see what means the most to you.
8. Write a thank you note to your neighbors. Thank them for being awesome or thank them for allowing your family to be who they are without too much complaint. If you have “rough” neighbors, use this as a way to mend the fence.
9. Spend a whole day saying yes, to anything and everything. Say yes, when your kids want extra hugs and stories, say yes when they want that crazy dinner, say yes when hubby wants some downtown, say yes when a gf wants to grab a drink. SAY YES, because in this life we say a lot of no, so see what a day of yes feels like.
10. Try a new diet, work out plan or gym style and stick with it. Don’t give up on yourself or your goals.
11. Walk down the beach, park or field, walk and look at your surroundings. Look at this amazing world we live in without a reason other than to just be there, in that moment thankful that you are able to be there.
12. Handwrite 5 notes to people who need to hear that they mean something to you. Even if you don’t have the best handwriting, the effort you put into the note means just as much as the words you say. Letting someone know you care about them by doing as simple a gesture as a note can be the difference of a life for someone. So write from the heart and give it to the person who least expects it, but needs it most.
13. Take and post a selfie. Because you are gorgeous or handsome and the world deserves to see your face.
14. Reach out to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Maybe, life has gotten in the way, maybe something silly happened. Whatever the reasoning as to why you haven’t spoken, now’s your chance.
15. Write a letter to your old self, you know the one before you became the all-powerful you. Tell them all the things you wish someone told you then, tell them all the places you’re going to go. Tell them anything you want. After you write it, burn it. You can’t change the past, but it did make you who you are, so obviously it happened for a reason.
16. Read a book, whether for knowledge or enjoyment lay around and enjoy some material that takes you to another place or allows you to learn the next secret way of life, either way sit down and read!
17. Take a bath, you know the kind where the bubbles fill up most of the tub. Maybe even have a glass of wine if you are really feeling brave.
18. Give a hug, whether to a stranger, friend, coworker or family member you don’t normally see. Physical contact can mean so much to someone, especially if you don’t know what they might secretly be struggling with.
19. Write a love note to your spouse, you know the kind that will make them feel appreciated down to their soul. The kind of words that lead to putting the kids to bed early kind of night.
20. Write 10 words of affirmation and say them to yourself, your kids and or your significant other at the dinner table every night. These can change, others can choose their own, but really give each other a nightly pep talk to boost each other up after each day.
21. Take your kids on a date, if you don’t have kids take your spouse or your dog because for some of us, dogs are our children. Spend the day doing their favorite things, eating their favorite foods, watching their favorite movies whatever it is, make it all about them. Truly enjoy a day dedicated to the most important people, or person in your life.
22. Make someone breakfast in bed. Your kids, hubby, parents whoever it is, get up early and surprise them with a hot cooked meal they wake up to. Trust me this will start you both on the right side of the day!
23. Bring the office donuts/bagels or coffee. Show your fellow employees how much you appreciate them with a surprise meal. As we all know most mornings we are stuck in traffic, feeding and getting kids ready and the last thing we have time for is feeding ourselves, so give them a little something to look forward to on an otherwise gloomy day.
24. Play in the rain. Yes, I mean it, go outside and play in the rain. Now this may not work for everyone everywhere you live, so if it’s not rain, leaves or something but go outside and appreciate all that mother earth has to offer, and act like a kid again, trust me, you’ll thank me later.
25. Take a drive, you know the ones where you have no destination, just listening to the music and let the road take you to nowhere. One of those drives. Crank up your favorite jams, think about all the things that you have been blessed with and drive. You never know where you could end up.
26. Start manifesting your goals for next year. Think about all the things you’ve accomplished this year, all the goals you are still working on and what more you are going to do next. If you need more info on how to manifest, look up my friend Lex Ferrante on YouTube she has great ideas to really turn goals into reality. I added 2 great video's below, be sure to check them out and then subscribe to her channel Lex Ferrante!
27. Send someone flowers. Your mom, bestie, sister, grandma… whoever it is send or bring them some unexpected flowers for no reason.
28. Be a tourist in your city, learn to appreciate where you live and why you live there. Go explore somewhere new or go to an area you’ve never been that you’ve always wanted to go. The more “touristy” the better!
29. Sit around the table and have your family list what they are grateful for, you might be surprised with what they come up with, or you might feel some gratefulness for them and all that you’ve done together.
30. Everyday wake up and say you are grateful. Keep telling yourself this, because if we don’t think it, how can we feel or show it to others. A positive thought in the morning, can change your outlook on your whole day.
If you try any of these methods, or if you try all of these methods, or maybe you want more methods comment below. I would love to hear more about your reaction and your family members or friends reactions to them and how you feel after putting these methods into practice, let’s all end this year feeling a little more grateful than we usually do! Don't forget to follow along on out journey with us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coutureurlife/
