This is Day 3 of the 14-Day Gratitude Challenge held in Aug 2013, where we practice gratitude for 14 days. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hey everyone, welcome to Day 3 of our 14-day gratitude challenge! :D Let’s get started, shall we?
Day 3: Gratitude Note
I love gratitude notes. I think they are one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to express your gratitude to someone.
With gratitude notes, you write a thank-you letter or a short note to the person (I prefer letters, really, because of they represent depth and sincerity) of your choice. Through the note, you tell the person how much he/she means to you, your recognition of what he/she has done for you, and how appreciative you are of his/her existence and actions. This note can be a handwritten one, an email, a message on your favorite social media platform (I’m guessing Facebook for most of you :) ), or even mobile messages (Whatsapp, anyone?).
To me, the power of the gratitude note comes from expressing appreciation in words (be it written or verbal), as it brings clarity to emotions and gratitude which may have been unspoken (and hence unknown) to date.
Often times we may think that someone knows our gratitude to him/her either because we often say thank you or because we are receiving of his/her kindness. To be fair, they probably do, to a certain level. However, it’s a whole different thing when you actually write a note saying thanks along with specific examples of how he/she has touched you.
Take for example, a simple comment like:
“Hey, thanks for always being there for me. I really appreciate our friendship.”
Compared to a handwritten note or email which you send out of the blue to your friend/loved one one day:
“Hey Jen, thanks for always being there for me. I never got to tell you this, but even though we have known each other for only a year, our friendship holds a special place in my heart.
Remember the time when I called you in the wee hours of the morning and we chatted for, what, two hours after that? I didn’t get to say this, but it really meant a lot, what you did for me. Even though you were sleeping, you still woke up to answer the call and listen to me brawl for two hours about the sick relationship which you told me to get out of ages ago. You could have said, “See, I told you so,” but you never did–not once. Thanks to you, I was able to pull out of the dark period and finally break up with that jerk.
You are an awesome friend and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to meet someone like you anywhere. I hope we’ll always be friends forever. You know that if you ever need a listening ear or a shoulder, you’ll always have me.
Dinner tomorrow at Shake and Box as always. I can’t wait to meet again and catch up on what you’ve been up to.
Much Peace and Joy,
Megan”
Which one do you think expresses your gratitude and intent more, and hence creates more impact to your recipient? I would think the latter.
The power of gratitude and gratitude notes is why I consistently set it as a challenge task, be it in last year’s Kindness Challenge (Day 3: Write 3 Thank-You Notes to 3 People You Appreciate and Day 9: Write a Letter to Someone Who Has Made a Difference in Your Life) or in our premium 30-day “Be a Better Me in 30 Days” character transformation program. Whether you have participated in either challenge or both challenges, there is never an end to the people you can express gratitude to nor the number of times to express your gratitude.
So today, your task is to write a gratitude note to someone! :)
Your Task: Write a Gratitude Note to Someone
- Identify the person whom you want to send your gratitude message to. It can be your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, family member, sibling, friend, romantic date, or even acquaintance who has touched your heart! :)
- Write your gratitude note! Like I mentioned above, your message can be a handwritten one, an email, a message on social media,
- Take a picture (if it’s a handwritten note) or a screenshot, to put in your gratitude journal and to share with the challenge participants in the comments section.
- Send the note, and wait for the person’s reply! ;)
Daily Journaling: Write 3 Things You Are Grateful for Today
On top of today’s task, identify 3 things you are grateful for today. These 3 things can be events that occurred today, mishaps which could have happened but didn’t happen, or simply things which have always been in your life but which you suddenly came to feel grateful for today.
3 things I’m grateful for today:
- After much anticipation, finally completed my first engagement photoshoot today (with Neil Douglas at Glasgow)!! It went well, though it’s really a matter of how the photos turn out at this point! (*Fingers crossed; will be getting the photos in two weeks’ time. Will share them on PE when they are out! ;) *) Looking forward to my next two shoots (with Orange Lemur) at Edinburgh on Sunday and Monday! :)
- I’ve been approached by a very large MNC to create a workshop for their latest campaign. The campaign has a very meaningful message and is something that resonates with me, so I look forward to working with them on it if the deal pulls through.
- The healthy soups and salads I get to eat in Scotland every day. These food options are in abundance here, unlike in Singapore, where fried food is the norm in neighborhoods. Back home, I usually get my fill of healthy food through home-prepared meals or visiting specific eateries like The Soup Spoon where I know they have healthy veggie options.
Share Your Results!
Who did you write your gratitude note to? What did you write in your gratitude note? (Share your picture of it! :) Simply blank out sensitive / private portions via MS Paint/GIMP/Photoshop, if any.)
(Do add an update to your original comment (by replying to it) if/when your recipient responds to your gratitude note. We would love to hear how he/she responded to it! :) )
What are 3 things you are grateful for today?
Share them in the comments section! :)
Once you’re done, proceed to Gratitude Challenge Day 4: Reflect on the Meaning of Gratitude.
(Images: Gratitude, Thank You Letter
)
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