After the success of last year’s #30daysofgratitude challenge I had to bring it back again this year.  I shared on here before how much I loved the November to Remember 2016 Snapchallenge.  But I wasn’t the only one.  Sharing a daily gratitude on Snapchat made others feel part of a commUNITY and blessings appeared to multiply.  Quite literally the number of people involved this year did in fact multiply!  Even though some joined in part of the way through November that was okay!  Cuz it’s never too late to appreciate! 

A total of 110 folks (most on Snapchat, some on Instagram and Twitter) began the month and publicly shared a daily gratitude,  and 78 completed 30 gratitudes by the end of November.  I coined it the “no stress express challenge”.  Why?  Because I let people know that unlike other 30 day challenges (if you miss a day you’re out) this one allowed for flexibility.  Miss a day, no probs just double up the next.  And for those who might have started mid way through, they just caught up by sharing their first 15 gratitudes in one go and then got on track.  Some shared first thing in the morning, others before going to bed at night.  Some shared in a video snap/instastory, while others shared their gratitude as one snap with text and some emojis.

One person even shared all thirty gratitudes on November 30th!  And my friend Nicola, from Simply Homemade Blog, shared daily but wrote up several blog posts recapping her gratitudes (here, here and here). Whatever and however it worked best for folks was fine by me.  But at the end, all those who completed 30 gratitudes were entered into a random draw. No one knew what the prize was going to be until after the draw.  And the lucky winner was snapper @skysoldier65 from Alabama!  He won a bag of heart shaped pasta from my recent trip to Florence, Italy (there had to be a foodie item included) and a gorgeous silver bangle bracelet engraved with “I am GRATEFUL”.

Many participants have told me this challenge changed their lives.  Also amazing,  many were going through one of the toughest circumstances of their lives but kept at the challenge.  It was a life boat amidst the storm!  Some have decided to continue on with the challenge and as I write this are on Day 35 of #manydaysofgratitude.  Others are doing gratitudes for the month of December to end the year on a good note.   Several have told me they now have a gratitude journal to write down their gratitudes every day or each week.  But whatever way this gratitude challenge has manifested in people’s lives, it did bring appreciation and goodness in a collective way.  Stating a gratitude publicly is profound.  It affects the sender and receivers.  We can all learn from one another and be bolstered by our love and positivity.

One thing I repeated from last year was that throughout the 30 days I posted  motivational quotes about gratitude. Only this year I actually posted more of them.  What I did differently to last year is that from time to time I posted gratitudes from other Snappers (and also shared their username/snapcode). And I posted the entire list of usernames of those participating  at the beginning of the month and then another list at the end of the month of those who did complete the challenge.  I think the quote about surrounding yourself with grateful people is true!  So I encouraged folks to sign on to eachothers’ accounts to help each other stay tethered during the storms of life through gratitude!

In a world that can be difficult and even dark, this was a bright light in a virtual corner of social media.  I reconnected with old friends and made some new ones.  Folks took part from all corners of the globe, from UK, Canada, USA, Ireland, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Australia to name a few.   The bonus being that I was the beneficiary of hearing/reading and then replying to nearly 3000 gratitudes!!!!  I thought I might burst with joy and thankfulness.  If you need any convincing of the benefits of appreciation, here is a link to a list of the top 20 TED talks and other Youtube videos on GRATITUDE.  It really is a life game changer! And here is another video about the power of committing to creating a new habit in 30 days!

And speaking of lists, as I did last year, I will share with you a list of my 30 gratitudes. This year, besides posting daily on Snapchat (username blissbakery), I also posted my gratitude to Instagram (also @blissbakery).  I’ll put in a link in case you’d like to see/read a bit more on each gratitude.

1. My Hubby
2. My two kids
3. My son-in-law and daughter-in-law
4. Food
5. My time working in Hollywood 
6. Snapchat
7. Being a dual Irish and American citizen
8. Woman Crush Wednesday chefs
9. Therapy
10. This blog
11. Military
12. My dad
13. LOVE
14. Kindness
15. My fur baby Stella
16. Flowers
17. My ability to travel
18. Coffee
19. Angels
20. My two granddaughters
21. My soul dog Jack
22. Hearts
23. Thanksgiving
24. Music
25. Prayer
26. Our home
27. My skills, talents and passions for cooking
28. My faith
29. Family and Friends
30. Memories and memorabilia 

I have a list of gratitudes I meditate on daily.  Some of the things on that list are on this list above as well.  I’ve always been a massive fan of being thankful and writing thank you notes is one of my fav past times.  Living a life with an ongoing flow of gratitude doesn’t mean everything is smooth sailing.  But it allows for a lens of love to process all things in a more profound way.  And certainly sharing this experience with all these good people has made this not only a November to Remember, but one I will never ever forget!  So thanks to each and every one of you who took part even for a day.  And for those who didn’t join in, just being there to encourage the rest of us was amazing.  I hope some of the gratitude spilled on to you too!

Hope to see you all back for the #30daysofgratitude challenge in November 2018!

Grateful LOVE,

YDP

P.S. Below are just some of the gratitudes from participants.  While I shared 48 snappers’ gratitudes on my story throughout the 30 days, these are only a few.  Gratitudes ranged from deep and meaningful ( surviving cancer) to the everyday (coffee).  Many people had similar gratitudes (family, a home, food, a job) and some were more unique (a quirky personality trait).   It seemed once people started looking, they found even more things to be grateful for, and that was the point!  Several people even gave thanks for all the struggles and challenges they’d experienced as it was how they learned to grow and survive!  Talk about inspiring!

L to R @mikaelaetood, @kbatten67, @sassyfiery

L to R @mattjboland, @mrshokulani, @jenser01

L to R @vanityfair.ie @palefaceie  @lyndastar22