In 2014, I participated in a gratitude
challenge. For three weeks I posted 3 things I was grateful for on my personal
Facebook page. It was enlightening and when my days got bad, it helped to
search deeply within for 3 things I was grateful for, especially if I
wasn’t feeling very grateful at the time.
I encourage everyone reading this to
give it a try. Just for three weeks. If we can
do the exhausting A to Z Challenge then this should be easy.
Post your 3 gratitudes on
Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or write them in a journal.
If you think you’re in such a bad
place that there can’t possibly be something to be grateful for, remember that
others have it worse. That it could be worse. You may hate your apartment but
at least you have a roof over your head. You may hate your job but at least
you’re getting a paycheck. If you think like this, you’ll find things to be
grateful for in even your lowest hour.
Here
are some of my favorite gratitudes from my challenge:
1. A healthy computer.
2. My crazy, funny, and adorable
nephews.
3. My creativity.
1. Having a roof over my head even
though the people upstairs are loud.
2. The freedom to be able to take a
nap when my body begs for one.
3. The people I’ve never met who
follow, visit, and comment on my blog.
1. Love
2. Laughter
3. Loyalty.
What would the world be like without
these 3 things...?
1. The generous and
supportive members of The Wild Rose Press.
2. A balance of $0.00 with my
cardiologist.
3. Good blogs.
1. Life
2. Liberty
3. And the pursuit of happiness.
Well, that was easy!
1. The lessons I’ve learned.
2. The experiences I’ve had.
3. The wisdom I’ve gained
1. My editor for helping me through
this journey called Publication.
2. My old English teachers.
3. Jessica Kennedy for introducing me
to this challenge.
QUESTION:
So...what are your three gratitudes for today?
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To join this monthly blog hop visit Michael G D'Agostino's blog.
QUESTION: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I'm an introvert. A big one. I'm single, I don't go out, and my cats are my children. HAHA! :p
I find it nearly impossible to talk to people I don't know. I can't even muster up a decent conversation with the chatty women who cut my hair. It's just too painful for me, which is why I love blogging and social media so much. Blogging gives me a voice and a presence that I normally don't have.
So there you have it...Hi, I'm Chrys and I'm an introvert. ;)
My three gratitudes are: Being alive.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech.
Not being locked out ALL of the week-end.
Great post and most interesting to read.
Yvonne.
Those are excellent gratitudes!
DeleteA healthy computer. That made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI had a virus scare that day.
DeleteI'm an introvert as well. It's so much easier online though, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll try the gratitude thing with Twitter since I'm not on Facebook.
It is a lot easier online. I have a voice online and in my books that I don't have in real life.
DeleteI'm exactly the same--complete introvert. Actually, I hate the idea of going to a hair salon because I don't want people to talk to me! It's funny how it's so much easier to talk to people on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's because the Internet sort of protects introverts. We don't need to be face-to-face with someone and can think through our words before posting something.
DeleteHi Chrys. Three things I'm grateful for. A shiny new computer (still getting used to it, though), a computer genius who got rid of the virus I immediately downloaded onto my shiny new computer, and blog hops. (I'll stick with the computer theme this morning.) I'm generally a happy person. I also answered the Question of the Month. I thought it was a good one.
ReplyDeleteA shiny new computer is a GREAT thing to be grateful for. Grr. I hate those viruses!
DeleteThis - "3. The people I’ve never met who follow, visit, and comment on my blog." Absolutely. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm an introvert, too. Talking to people is so hard for me, but I do it. I have to take a nap after because it exhausts me, but still. :)
<3 I'm grateful for you and everyone else every single day. :D
DeleteThat does look easy. There is always something to be grateful for, even if it's just being alive.
ReplyDeleteI'm an outgoing introvert.
Exactly.
DeleteAn outgoing introvert. I like that! And I wish I were more like that.
I've been reading a lot of other blogs with the question of the month with introvert/extrovert. Interestingly everyone I've read so far has been an introvert (and I'm one too, LOL). You are right; it is easier to be an introvert on social media than in "real life".
ReplyDeleteI like your challenge of 3 things to be grateful for; we do have so much that we are blessed with. Enjoyed reading your groups of 3 things too :)
betty
I think introverts tend to be bloggers. Extroverts are too busy for it and can't sit still long enough for it.
DeleteHi fellow introvert! I totally get the hair stylist debacle. I can't think of anything to say to them either. I'm always worried they'll think I'm a snob.
ReplyDeleteGratitude. I am so lucky it's hard to know where to start. I have a beautiful home where I get to write. I have a family (that drives me nuts, but I do love them). And I get to do lots of fun stuff like kayak, hug the neighborhood stray cat that bites everybody else, and ride roller coasters with my kids.
Hello fellow introvert! :D I fear the same thing but still can't manage to say a single thing to them.
DeleteLovely gratitudes!
I would have guessed you to be an introvert, but nothing wrong with that. It's probably better to be introverted if you're a writer.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful everyday. I'll concur with you on the healthy computer--I sure am in a better place computer-wise than I was a couple years ago. I'm also grateful for still having relatively good health and for my wonderful family who I don't get to see often enough.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I'm glad you would've guessed me for an introvert. :D
DeleteA good computer, good health, and a wonderful family are the best gratitudes.
High-five on those gratitudes, Karen! And a big virtual hug to a fellow introvert.
ReplyDeleteI'm an introvert, which may be partly a me thing and partly an Aspie thing. I wish some people wouldn't think all Aspies are idiots with no social skills, since I can be very talkative and social with people I know well and feel comfortable and safe with. I just don't go up to people I don't know to strike up conversations, or go to places like clubs, bars, and parties.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful I'm able to walk, since had my accident happened 40–50 years ago, I would've been an amputee due to how severely my tibia and fibula were shattered.
I am the same with being outgoing with people I know well and like. With people I don't know or like, I am quiet and shy.
DeleteI am grateful for that too!
Introvert at my sea too. Having a $0 balance in anything owing is sure nice indeed. The roof over ones head is good too lol
ReplyDeleteA rhyming introvert. Who would've guessed? :P
Delete1) I'm grateful for the people who follow me on my blog & social media.
ReplyDelete2) I'm grateful for the support of the IWSG community.
3) I'm grateful for the few friends I have, because you know I'm an introvert.
Oh, and have same issue with the hair stylist. Can't think of anything to say and would rack my brain for a topic. I usually let them start things off, latch onto it and go from there. Worse is when they make you go around the room and give a speech at work when we're celebrating a coworkers' birthday or new job. Why do they make us do that? When will they stop this madness already?
All wonderful things/people to be grateful for, Lidy.
DeleteI can answer a question or make a small comment, but after that I fall silent again. *sigh*
I can see how engaging in a gratitude challenge could certainly lift your spirits - terrific idea! I plan to try this right away.
ReplyDeleteHa! It's unanimous (almost) - we're all introverts! And thanks to blogging, we still socialize, just like anyone else :-)
See? This gratitude thing is working already!
Sunshine, Courage, Compassion. Right when I need them most:-)
Awesome! I started my challenge for this year on Twitter.
DeleteIt is funny that we all seem to be introverts. I think most bloggers are because extroverts are too outgoing to spend time blogging.
I love your gratitudes. Beautiful!
I'm an extrovert, but just barely according to Myers-Biggs. I am, however, thankful for a lot of things: my profession, my daughter who wasn't hurt when she hit a deer today and my son who just named his son after me and his father-in-law...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're daughter wasn't hurt too. And what an honor to have your grandson named after him.
DeleteHi Chrys - gosh I'd have never have put you as that introverted. I learnt to come out (in the extroverted way - please note!) ... when I was asked to sit on a committee - it was a squash committee - so lots of socialising essential and that was it.
ReplyDeleteThree things today I'm thankful for - the still relatively warm weather, a brain that likes to learn, and being healthy ... great idea for the post ... cheers Hilary
Oh yes, I'm really introverted. :)
DeleteAll wonder things to be grateful for.
Yeah, I've had hair stylists complain that I'm too quiet. I make them uncomfortable because I don't strike up conversations though I will participate in one that's already going on if asked a question. I see a new lady now who lets me sleep while getting my hair done, but only after we exchange niceties first. I ask about her dog and fiance and she asks about my family and books. Takes about 15 minutes and it's a private session, just me and her.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles to condensate with their hairstylists.
DeleteI just joined your site and enjoyed your answer to this months question. I think there are varying degrees to being an introvert. I admiree your honesty. I'm in Palm Coast. Where in FL are you?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Barb. I live in Central FL, on the East coast. :)
DeleteThat means we are in very close proximity!!
Delete:D
DeleteI find it awkward talking to my hair dresser too. And she's been mine for a while, so it's not like she's a stranger to me.
ReplyDeleteIt's a real challenge for introverts.
DeleteIt's good to be an introvert and to be comfortable with yourself, but it's also great to step outside of the box once in a while. Love the gratitude post!
ReplyDeleteI am finally comfortable with myself, and do try to step out of the box when I can. :)
DeleteI am truthfully 50% introvert and 50% extrovert. I have taken Meyers-Briggs plus other personality questions at conferences I attended in the past. I always turn out to be 50% down the middle. I sit on the fence-hahahaaa If I feel in the mood, I can talk and talk and enjoy myself but if I am in the mood to not see anyone, I will retreat and not answer the phone. It would drain me if I was always an extrovert. The challenge you did sounds like a great one-congrats for accomplishing it. I am grateful for 1. My hubby who went out with me at Halloween even though he dislikes Halloween(he is weird). 2. I love my best friend whom I talked to while we each handed out candy at our own homes. We can chat and converse and end up on a topic we have no idea how we got there. 3. My fur babies. They give love and wagging of tails and licking( we have 1 dog and 5 cats). They also bark, meow, scratch my wood, and create hair everywhere but I wouldn't have it any other way.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was 50-50! That would solve so many problems. LOL your husband, best friend, and fur babies are the best gratitudes.
DeleteSounds like a cool challenge. In a round-about-way you are grateful for me. :) Yea! Nothing I love more than feeling appreciated.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I like to take a negative and turn it into a positive.
1. I don't have any life threatening diseases.
2. I have the freedom and ability to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
3. True friends who stick by me no matter what.
Like you, I'm one of the biggest introverts you'll meet. Especially to people I don't know. Until you get to know me, I'm a very quiet and shy person. But, I will say that once you get to know me, I tend to never shut up.
LOL! I am. I really, really am. :D
DeletePerfect gratitudes!
I am the same way with people I don't know. It takes me awhIle to get to know people and open up.
I think you mentioned before you were in introvert. You use social media so well, if you didn't so I wouldn't have guessed it.
ReplyDeleteToday I'm grateful for:
All my recent health tests have come back good to great (still one pending)
Having such a big family
The beautiful place I live
Susan Says
Social media is a godsend for me. I can open up and gave a voice. A voice that's heard. :D
DeleteI'm so glad you're health tests have come back good. I hope the last one comes back good as well.
Awesome gratitude list, Chrys! You'd never know you're an introvert based on your blog, social media presence and your writing in general. That's a compliment :) I'm grateful for my kids, my Beau and of course a roof over my head :) Those 3 things tend to often come up in my gratitude list.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I definitely do take that as a compliment. I grew into my social media person....or Chrys Fey, you could say. :p
DeleteLove the post Chrys, and thanks again for the shout out on twitter! Your work is truly a pleasure to read, and I can't wait to catch up with you after NaNo.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful, for so many things, but in this instance it's all the wonderful friends I've made via the internet. I'm grateful my boys and husband all have good jobs, working vehicles, and we are all supportive of one another. We're family!
I'm grateful for my creativity too - I'm an introvert and it's my companion, my passion, and my vocation.
Happy writing, Chrys!
You're welcome for the shout out. :)
DeleteWhat would we do and be without our creativity?
Happy writing! Happy NaNo!
What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for my health., for my family, and for my awesome friends.
Lovely gratitudes. :)
DeleteI'm grateful for my kids, my writing, my family and friends. Guess that's technically four...
ReplyDeleteYou can be grateful for as many things as you want to be. :)
DeleteI'm introverted and I talk to strangers. It took a lot of practice to get to the point where I could. It works better when you sit in a group and have others talk. At some point you might find you have something to say.
ReplyDeleteOkay, three things I'm grateful for... 1. I finally passed that %$#&! level on Pyramid Solitaire Saga that I've been fighting with for days. 2. Monday. Seriously. It's a shortened day at school, so I only had 44 minute classes today. I really needed an easy day and I got it. 3. A great new-to-me author with novellas that are just my cup of tea right now. I needed a book to delve into that is short enough to not keep me up until 4 AM.
The gratitude exercise is a good idea. I forget to do it too frequently, but when reminded I can easily come up with several things I'm grateful for in the moment.
I'll have to practice more.
DeleteI love your gratitudes! Short days at school were always the best thing.
I'm grateful to read your post. And nothing like "Farcebook" to show off our gratitudes :)
ReplyDeleteI'm an extrovert and an introvert. It depends on the situation.
Gary
I love that you're grateful for my blog post. :D
DeleteI might try that on my blog, if only to get some content going ;)
ReplyDeleteHahaha I can never make smalltalk with hairdressers :P
I think that would be a good idea for your blog.
DeleteEnjoyed reading all the three things...
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI've done something like the gratitude challenge in my journal, for about 2 weeks and then sporadically since then. I wrote 5 things I was thankful for at the end of the day, but I cheated and used repeats sometimes :p I was still thankful for those things, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd being introverted is part-way to blame for my long hair, lol, I avoid the chatty hairdressers as long as possible. I have even trimmed my own split ends :-/
I think it's fine to repeat things. :)
DeleteI understand that. My hair is super long but I'll be chopping it all off soon to donate.
1) I'm grateful to have blogging friends like you, Chrys.
ReplyDelete2) I'm grateful for a lovely cup of osmanthus oolong tea and a hearty breakfast this morning.
3) I'm grateful I get to write and illustrate for a living (or that I'm trying to make it work as a living).
I dread haircuts because of the small talk ... which is why I often trim my own hair these days.
Aw! Thank you! I'm grateful for you too. :)
DeleteA cup of that tea sounds delicious.
Writing and illustrating is the best job! :D
I LOVE gratitude challenges. Did you get a good result from posting them? I sometimes wonder if other people care what we're grateful for. I'm interested, but I'm not sure if anyone will be interested in mine, which is why I usually keep them in a journal.
ReplyDeleteToday has been a tough day, but I can honestly say I'm grateful for the support and information-sharing of my Samhain Horror friends, I'm grateful for my wonderful editor Don D'Auria, and I'm grateful to everyone who has bought my book and commented on my blog. I never take that support for granted.
I had only posted it for my friends and family to see when I first did the challenge and that response was minimal. I'm trying it on Twitter this time. Even if I don't get a response, it's still a nice thing to do. :) And I'm thrilled you're doing it too. :D
Delete