Well here I am at the starting line of this 21-day marathon called The Gratitude Challenge. It was brought to my attention by a friend, who also admitted normally deleting this type of message. 'Something' called to her the same way it did me.
On this first day, I'm to sign the contract commiting to take note and give thanks for the next 21 days. As well as look at why I accepted this challenge and what I hope to achieve from it.
And on that note, I'm afraid my answers will be fairly broad.
I accepted it because I believe in fate. Yes, fate. I believe it comes to us in many forms, you just have to be open to it. Like many people in the world, I've had a lot of stressful events happen in my life this past year. When they happen back-to-back-to-back, you can't help but notice, "Hey there's a trend going on here. And it ain't a good one. Why? What did I do to deserve this?" That's right. Otherwise known as the Pity Party. When I point out that I KNOW there are people who are so worse off than me, my friends sweetly respond that yes, there are people going through worse circumstances but these are MY circumstances. This is MY world and my issues are very real.
While I can't argue that, I can't allow it bog me down either. I can't be waiting for the next shoe to drop. What if it never does and I've spent all this energy waiting for the 'bad'? We need to exercise faith a lot more than we do. I saw it as fate because this challenge came to me as I was watching my sweet little girl fight back a high fever from the swine flu she contracted and I thought, "When are we gonna catch a break?" She's going to be fine, by the way. No, her being sick was not the worst thing in the world (though I hate when my babies are sick). It just seemed like another dark cloud in a long line of tropical depressions that have blown over our lives. So I saw this challenge as somewhat of a gift from my good friend 'Fate'. Choosing to see the silver lining, as the video mentioned. Who can't use that? So in part, my answer to 'why' I'm doing this is more an answer of, 'why not'. What have I got to lose?(except some anxiety!).
I'm hoping to achieve many things out of this. Less stress, a happier heart, my kids watching me "walk-the-walk" of how both the choices we make and the way we view life affects others. To be able to look at the tough times that come at us as learning curves. We are destined to repeat or get caught in these tough times if we don't face them head-on and deal with them. I want to deal with them positively. I don't want to bury my head in the sand and hope they will go away or be upset for too long that life has thrown me yet another curve ball. I want my kids to see they can face their obstacles with courage and dignity and still know they have more to be grateful for than to be upset about. Tough times are a part of life. Everyone's life. How we deal with them is our choice.
Getting caught up in all the negativity going on in our lives (and the world) is such an easy thing to do. It can be difficult to get out from under the shadow of it once it's smothered us in its suffocating grip. This negative attitude can become a habit. A bad habit. It can happen to anyone. Some people don't even realize they're in the middle of it. Some blame it on others. Still others aren't sure where to point the finger or which way to go from here. I know where my responsibilities lie in the ups and downs of my life. I want to know I've tackled them in a positive manner and hope my kids will learn to do the same when faced with their own challenges. I want to look at all the great things going on around me and my family and pay tribute to them. Call them out. Celebrate them. I want an Attitude of Gratitude and I want to pass it on.
I know this is going to require some effort and dedication -- and I'm ready. This life I was generously given as a gift is not something I take lightly. There is too much good going on right under our noses to focus on the bad. I'm sincerely grateful for my life and my fantastic family. I want everyone to know that - especially them. It's something I'm very proud to say. I can replace a television or a car. I can't replace my family. Therefore, I want to go through this life with them focusing on all the good. I'm excited to do this and am looking forward to discovering all the things, big and small, I am grateful for out there that I haven't even thought of before.
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