Gratitude 30 Day Challenge
The “attitude of gratitude” doesn’t happen overnight. Like any other habit, you build it through repetition and routines.
The Gratitude 30 Day Challenge can help get you started. We’ve suggested things that you can do that can help you create a Grateful Mindset. You can do them in any order, or revise and repeat activities according to your preferences.
Every day for 30 days, pick one activity that you will do. At the end of the day, write down your experience in your journal. What happened? How did it make you feel? How did other people react?
At the end of the 30 days your heart will be more full and you should be feeling gratitude for even the little things in life.
Say thank you for the little things
Today, thank someone for something they do every day: the co-worker who always makes coffee for everyone, or the doorman who always greets you with a big smile.
Blast from the past
Think of someone in your past who helped shape who you are today. It can be a teacher, relative, childhood friend, or even the author of a book that changed your life.
Write a letter to that person. You don’t have to send it (although it would be great if you did!). Just remembering and articulating your gratitude is powerful.
Too blessed to be stressed
Think of one or two things that always annoys you or stresses you out. Then, try to view it from of the lens of gratitude.
- Is it teaching you an important life lesson? For example, a really demanding boss can teach you to be more disciplined and focus.
- Are you overlooking positive points or benefits? For example, a broken elevator is a chance to get extra exercise.
Say Three “Thank Yous” a Day
Starting today, challenge yourself to say thank you to three different people a day. Aside from close friends and family, include people in your community, co-workers, service personnel, etc.
This exercise can help you start actively looking for reasons to be grateful, and notice the impact of other people on your everyday life.
Download a Gratitude App
Even if you keep a traditional journal or notebook, an app is still useful for jotting down things on-the-go, or reading your entries whenever you’re in a bad mood. Some apps also have features like affirmations, journal prompts, inspirational quotes, vision boards, etc.
Some good gratitude apps are: Gratitude, Grateful, Day One, and Presently. You can find hundreds more, and many of them are completely free to use.
Find a “Gratitude Buddy”
You’ve heard about workout or diet buddy: someone who can exercise with you, and can hold you accountable to your goals.
A gratitude buddy is very similar. You can share entries from your gratitude journal, remind each other to stay positive even on bad days, or send each other inspirational quotes. At the end of each day, you can check in on each other: “What are you grateful for, today?”
You can also invite that person to do the Gratitude 30 Day Challenge with you!
Create a Ripple Effect
Your life is better because people helped you and supported you. Not everyone is as lucky. There are many others who are lonely, lost, and struggling.
Now is your chance to say “thank you” to the people who helped you—by helping someone else. You can find a cause that resonates with you. For example, if a teacher helped you when you were a troubled teen, support a local youth center.
Listen to a Gratitude Meditation
Meditations can help cultivate your gratitude by filling your mind with positive images and affirmations. Meditations release stress and negativity that prevent you from seeing the good things that happened that day.
Here are some meditations you can find on Youtube:
- 21 Day Gratitude Meditation
- Magnetize Miracles: Gratitude Meditation to Shift Your Reality
- 5 Minute Meditation for Gratitude
- Gratitude Sleep Meditation
- Tony Robbins Gratitude Guided Meditation
Ask “What Would You Feel Without it?”
We’re lucky to live in the 21st century. Indoor plumbing and the Internet are readily available. We don’t have to go out and hunt for our food. We have medicines and vaccines.
Think of some modern conveniences and imagine what your life would be like without it. You can play this game with your kids, or use it as a journal prompt. You can even do an experiment, and try “giving up” that item for as long as you can.
Make a Gratitude Collage
Make a collage of pictures of things, people or experiences that you’re grateful for. There are many ways you can do this:
- Try a traditional collage and paste it on a cardboard or bulletin board, and place in a prominent area in your home
- Or a digital collage that you can print out, share on your social media, or use as a desktop wall paper or screen saver
- Upload a Pinterest board
- Make a short video montage
- Gather a collection photos you can play on a digital picture frame
Set Up a Thankful Tree
This is a great way to get many people involved in the practice of gratitude. Get a small Christmas tree and small pieces of paper with a string. Ask people to write down things they are thankful for, and then hang it on the tree.
While this activity seems a good fit for the holidays, you can do it any time of the year. For example, instead of hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree, you can ask people to add sticky notes to a bulletin board or place them in a jar.
Start the Gratitude 30 Day Challenge Today!
Gratitude can help you manage stress, be more positive, improve your relationships, and open your heart to better experiences. Take the Gratitude 30 Day Challenge to cultivate this mindset, and see how it changes your life.