Want to feel happier? Try thinking of something you’re grateful for every day when you get up and when you go to bed. It’s very effective and sounds so simple. But for most of us I believe this is probably easier said than done. Not because it’s difficult to give thanks, but because it requires a little discipline to make yourself do it consistently.
That’s why I’m grateful to the lovely Isabel Archer for nominating me to do a “7 Day Gratitude Challenge”. The idea is that you name something you’re grateful for in your life every day for a whole week and tell everybody about it.
I must confess, I’m not the most thankful type. It’s not my instinct to walk around looking for evidence of how great my life is. Don’t get me wrong, I have a great life and it’s a sometimes a baffling realization to think about how the hell one can get so lucky. But instead of sitting on my butt appreciating the glory of God’s creation, I’m more wired to think of how things can be better and what problems to solve. After all, I wasn’t raised by super vigilant Chinese parents for nothing. If you don’t know me at all and you listen to my father talking to me on the phone for five minutes, you’d think this gal barely has her life together and an ambulance should better arrive in half an hour! (Oddly, my parents always say they are very proud of me. I believe they do. And the fact that they can reconcile so nicely in their head the parental pride and the uncompromising belief in the fucked-upness of their daughter’s life is utterly amazing.)
So I did the gratitude challenge. It was fun and refreshing. Although the routine didn’t revolutionize my life, I did feel happier and wiser (Can one actually feel wiser? I believe so. Wisdom is not just in your head.) You can watch me talk about what I’m grateful for on this week’s BananaOnFire. Now that I’ve shared my gratitude, it’s your turn! Yes, you, who are reading these words right now. I nominate you to do your own 7 Day Gratitude Challenge. And don’t forget to share what you’ve got!
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(Watch this video on YouTube)
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