No One Has Explained Gratitude Quite Like This
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Faking It
For nearly a decade, I’ve been participating in or leading a November Gratitude Challenge. I’m all-in on the concept and fully believe in the benefits, but this year has been a test for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons.
Someone recently said to me,
“I get it, I mean, it makes sense, but it’s pretty surface-level, isn’t it? It’s not really addressing the tough stuff, and I don’t know, it just feels like I’m faking happiness or something.”
I can’t stop thinking about that conversation, and I want to go there, but first, let me say this, what works in life is what works.
The answer is always a handful of a few proven methodologies — success secrets, happiness strategies, paths to the good life — applied to the times. Yes, these are challenging times, but the basics, the foundational truths, still will work.
Every generation thinks their problems’ sophistication exceeds the solutions’ validity, but it’s not true. You’ve just got to decide what you believe, what you’ll try, then apply it, stick with it, and keep playing your hand, keep engaging with life, until you hit a natural Royal.
Winning on that level is inevitable if you can stay in the game long enough. Think of gratitude as what makes sustainability possible and even fun.
Forecasting
So, if you were a part of this year’s November Gratitude Challenge, you’ve noticed there’s an ebb and flow to the posts, energetically matched throughout the month. I like to anticipate what will work when and push a bit too.
For instance, during Thanksgiving week, your availability and attention might be waning, so you’re getting some softball prompts this week. That’s not cheating.
We started gently, layered in some more challenging, provocative concepts, built momentum, eased up a bit to coast and conserve energy, and will finish the month…
