I can't believe that I have completed this challenge!
100 days of acknowledging what I'm grateful for every single day for 100 consecutive days.
I thought I'd write this post in a different manner to try and keep things short and sweet (cause I know I can ramble a bit!), and to go through my experience by answering some questions I have been asked!
1. Why did I start the challenge and what is Gratitude?
A few months ago I won a little YouTube give away by Erin May Henry, and the giveaway was a small Gratitude Journal from Kikki K. After receiving the little book I started to note down the things I was grateful for but I was very hit and miss and only did it as and when I remembered. I eventually got to the nearing the end of the book and I remembered seeing the challenge on twitter a couple years ago. I wanted to see if there was an actual difference in being actively grateful every day opposed to actively being grateful as and when I felt like it.
To me, being grateful and showing gratitude is acknowledging and being happy or finding a "Thank you" in a moment, whether it be a person, a moment in time, a feeling or an inanimate object. It's being mindful of the good and what makes your life that bit better.
There were times where I was grateful for certain people on a certain day, sometimes it was just enjoying moments like building Lego with Jodie because it gave us that bonding time. Other times it was towards food and the healthy options available to me. I was also grateful for the basics in life and those things we take for granted like our health (that time I fell down the stairs and hurt my knee), my bed or even just the roof over our heads.
2. What made me stick to the challenge?
100 days is a long time and a serious commitment and I still wonder to myself how I stuck to it. But it all came down to mindset.
I've never stuck to something ever in my life before this challenge. I was always a half assed Nancy where I'd be excited to do something for a few days then give up. I never had that motivation to see anything through and got bored quick. However that was my drive to stick to this challenge. I'm currently in the midst of a lifestyle change/ makeover so knew this was something I needed to tackle too .
I started posting my gratitudes up on Instagram and my Facebook page to hold myself accountable and that once I started there was no turning back. After all, the only way out, is through.
3. How did I remember to write it everyday?
This was also a mindset thing for me too. I'm very much a woman of my word and hate cancelling on people or being late ect. But I'm also one to work under pressure and to a deadline. There's only 24 hours in a day which meant for example, day 9 had to be posted before midnight otherwise it would fall into day 10 and that meant I would have failed (in my eyes anyway). So I always had that deadline of midnight in my mind everyday, like I said, I hate being late! But sometimes I would run it too close and not post anything up until 23:45! But it still counts as it was before 23:59.
There were times though, where I would be posting my gratitude when I was almost falling asleep whilst typing and only posted on Instagram (insert 'see no evil' monkey here). Least I got the post up!
4. Was it easy?
I'm not going to lie, no it was not! I guess that's why its referred to as a challenge. But I didn't make things easy on myself either.
When I started the challenge, I wanted to try to be grateful for something new and different everyday, and that was a challenge in itself. By the end of the second week I was already questioning what I'd gotten myself into as I still had months to go and had that overwhelming feeling of dread and that the end couldn't come quick enough.
Some days were better than others and therefore easier to be grateful for. Hell, some days I had a lot to be grateful for!
But on others, when I'd had a bad day or feeling low and shitty, it was hard, and I struggled. But that's where the beauty of the challenge really comes into play. No matter how crappy or low I was feeling, I still managed to find that silver lining of gratitude no matter how small or insignificant it seemed to some. It's about your perception and what matters to you at the end of the day.
5. How do I feel now that its over?
It's been a week since I posted day 100 on my Instagram and a part of me is feeling a bit of relief as I don't have that midnight deadline pressure on myself anymore, but another part of me just feels that funny feeling of falling out of routine. I go to bed and I feel like I'm forgetting to do something until I remember that I don't have to post my gratitude's anymore.
Of course I'm going to continue with my gratitude's in future journals, and I might post the odd one on social media, but it is strange now not doing it everyday. But I'm grateful and proud of myself for completing the challenge as I've shown myself that I can do it. I can stick to something through the good and the bad days and I'm glad for the experience. Also I wont be referring to myself as a half assed Nancy anymore!
6. What has changed in the time of doing the challenge?
Since completing the challenge, I've noticed how much more easier it has been to find the positives in everyday life, and how I don't get stressed out as much. My patience has been extended and on the odd day, I can balance my work and play life with more ease!
There was a time during the challenge that I had gone to do my weekly food shop and when I got to the till with my trolley load (luckily I hadn't put it on the conveyor belt yet) I went to get my card out of my purse ready... only it wasn't in my purse. I checked inside my bag and all its pockets along with my own pockets. I admit I dropped a few f-bombs in at this point, but I stayed focused and asked to leave my trolley in the corner whilst I went to the car. The card wasn't in the car either. Usually I'd be dropping the bombs for the whole car park to hear, but I remained composed and went back into the shop to explain I didn't have my card but I was going to the bank to get money out. The employees were so understanding and even offered to keep my trolley in the back fridge until I came back! I got my money, hassle free and paid for my goods like nothing happened.
This challenge has helped open a new perspective for me. To focus on the solutions and not the problem. To find the light in the darkest of days, and to be happy for the small and basic things, as they are what build your foundations to a better and happier life.
7. How can you look deeper into gratitude?
You don't need to participate in the 100 days of gratitude challenge to start being grateful (although I'm not stopping you if you wanted to).
You can do it right now by looking around you, being mindful of what you have and being grateful that you have it. The sofa your sat on, you can be thankful that you have one as there are people without one (I went without for months when I flew the nest). Is it brand new? You can be grateful that you have the means to pay for something from your own pocket.
When it comes to non materialistic things, you can be grateful for the people that have come and gone throughout your life or most importantly, stayed with you. Find the Thank You moments in each event of your life, good or bad, as I'm sure there was a lesson learnt along the way.
Find those moments that make you happy, or relieves some worry. Recognise the small stuff that make your life that bit better and easier, like your favourite shampoo being half price when you've just ran out and skint.
I could go on and give so many examples of how and where you can be grateful, but ultimately, it's up to you to stop and smell the roses.
You can make mental notes through the day or you can keep a journal to note your gratitudes down. Which ever way you decide to start being grateful, be mindful of its power and how it impacts your own life.
If you have any other question that your curious to find out about my experience on this challenge, please let me know and comment!