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| Outfit linked here |
Happy Thursday, I hope your week is going well! Now that we're into December, I wanted to share a personal recap on my November Gratitude Challenge that I posted about before the start of the month. If you missed it, don't fear! This is a "challenge" that can be done any time, so check out my post if you want to see what it's all about.
I want to preface all of this by clarifying that I am NOT a fan of the "you're the only one in charge of your own happiness, you have to choose happiness, blah, blah, blah..." sentiments. I GET it, sure! But when I'm having an off day that's the last thing I want to hear, and it's never once helped me. 😂 Instead, I believe that expressing gratitude for the things that are going well for you or just ONE simple thing getting you through your day - sometimes you're forcing yourself to see the bright side, and that's just the way it is!
I will always remember a class that I took in college that focused on empathy in the healthcare setting. We watched a TED Talk that mentioned if you are trying to express empathy for someone and you say "at least XYZ didn't happen," or "at least you still have XYZ," then you are missing the point or diminishing their circumstance, and I have always disagreed with that. Sure, maybe there's a better way to word those sentiments, but I think "at least..." is more pointed to focusing on the things that went right or the things that you still have. I think the "at least" sentiment is an acknowledgement of what you HAVE rather than diminishing something negative that has happened - which links back to gratitude for me!
After completing the challenge and noting things that I was grateful for each day, I can genuinely say that I have more of an overall feeling of contentedness than I did before the "challenge." Writing things down and looking back on them is wonderful to see how many good things happened throughout the month. I've got to be honest, I fell off of writing everything down around Thanksgiving because I was so busy that I got behind, but I still made an effort to consciously acknowledge things I was grateful for as they occurred because that's my long-term intention anyway. I've got to say, I did notice a difference between when I was writing things down versus just acknowledging them. I don't know the psychology behind it, but writing them down definitely gives a longer-lasting sense of gratitude.
Now that the challenge is "over" and I haven't been writing things down anymore, I still notice a positive shift in my mindset when I take a moment to consciously acknowledge something that I'm grateful for, even if I'm stopping and forcing myself to think of something during a moment of frustration. Even if I’m not writing things down, I still consciously acknowledge them which is the whole point of the challenge for me. Writing it down is definitely more effective, but I've made acknowledging things a habit, which was my goal.
For my gratitude challenge follow up, I planned on sharing each of the things I had written down for each day, but a lot of them would've required additional context or were frankly so specific to myself personally that I didn't think anyone would care, so instead I'd like to share a general list of things that I'm grateful for that I think most people will resonate with. There are so many things that I could list, but these are the top 10 that came to mind immediately!
- Kenny and I both have stable jobs with understanding, collaborative, and supportive coworkers and management.
- I can afford any groceries I need or want, as well as going out to eat for fun. I also love cooking and I'm grateful that it is not a chore.
- We have a great, affordable apartment with great neighbors.
- My parents and brother are the best of the best and they live close by.
- Kenny is supportive, loyal, and fun!
- Roxy is the BEST pet on the planet.
- We're in good health and have good health insurance.
- Kenny and I have reliable cars.
- I have amazing, long-term friends that know me well and I know they would do anything for me.
- I not only have clothes to wear, but an excess of pieces that I can have fun with beyond needing them.
Lastly, I am so grateful for this blog as my outlet for whatever I feel like sharing or talking about, and I am grateful for YOU, my reader, for being along for the ride with me!
Before I let you go, I wanted to talk briefly about this outfit! It's not something I usually wear, but I loved it - it felt very Ralph Lauren to me! I planned on wearing it for a bonfire that my brother's girlfriend and I were trying to force my brother to throw at his new house (😂) but he was busy pretty much the entire month of November fighting wildfires in Virginia! Instead, I wore it for his birthday and I laughed out loud when we met up because he was ALSO rocking head-to-toe denim. 😂 Most of my pieces are old, so I'm linking similar options below. My belt and hat are the only things still in stock - the hat is under $40 and comes in a bunch of colors, and my belt is reversible so it's like having two belts!
xoxx, Laura
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