Hope you had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year with family, friends, fun and football – hands down my favorite holiday of the year.

One of the things I appreciate most about Thanksgiving is a tradition in my family where we go around the dinner table and everyone says what they are thankful for.  There are no rules or guidelines and everyone is free to say whatever they feel.

Some years we’ve had over 70 people at our house to partake in this tradition and there’s usually not a dry eye in the room when we’re done.

While Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks and remember what we’re grateful for, it’s something we could all benefit from doing every day.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

What I am challenging myself and all my readers to do is to write a handwritten thank you note every day for the next 21 days expressing our gratitude to someone.

It could be as simple as saying thank you to a parent for bringing you into this world, how much you appreciate the doorman at your building or a long letter to someone who has positively impacted your life in a way you could never repay them for.

Perhaps you’ll even have the courage to reach out to a relationship that has fallen off the treadmill or an old teacher you haven’t spoken to in years, that helped you become who you are today.

What ever you decide to do, the challenge is out there to write a handwritten thank you note every day for the next 21 days to show our gratitude and appreciation to the special people in our lives.

“Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~Albert Schweitzer 

Thanks for stopping by and taking time to read my blog this week.

PS.  If you’re going to take the gratitude challenge please leave a comment below saying “I’m in”

If just 10 people complete the challenge that’s 210 letters sent to brighten someone’s day!

100 people would be 2,100 uplifting letters!

If 1,000 people do it, that’s 21,000 letters of gratitude!

PSS.  I am thankful for clean water and will be donating $1 to charitywater.org for every comment left below between now and December 31st, 2012 (up to 1,000 comments or $1,000).

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  • Patricia Zapf

    Great post, Joe! I’m in for the gratitude challenge. I have recently been trying to focus on having an attitude of gratitude and try to reflect on something that I am thankful for every day. I love the idea of sending a hand-written note to someone each day for 21 of them! Hope you are well!
    Patty

    • thejoesweeney

      THANKS for being the 1st comment Patty! YES! Hope you enjoy the challenge and wishing you a happy holiday season.

  • Stephanie

    I’m in! Love that idea and the positive impact it can have on so many people!

    • thejoesweeney

      the note you sent me almost brought me to tears. incredible. thank you.

  • Nicole

    LOVE! What a great, easy way to brighten the world and pass on some kindness!

    • thejoesweeney

      I’d expect nothing less from the “Queen of Kindness” (aka: YOU!)

  • http://InnovationLearning.org Darin

    Awesome initiative! I am grateful for Joe Sweeney providing inspiration through blogging, tweeting, and important conversations! Thanks for the charity donation…clean water is such an important cause!

  • http://www.facebook.com/gregg.salkovitch Gregg Salkovitch

    Great idea, Joe! Handwritten notes go so much further than an e-mail. Definitely makes my day when I get one.

    • thejoesweeney

      make it happen GS!

  • http://twitter.com/mngardon Michael Gardon

    I’m in!

    • thejoesweeney

      let me know if you need my mailing address ;) haha, jk

  • Marnie

    Done & done. Can’t wait to participate! Who doesn’t love a nice, handwritten card?

    • thejoesweeney

      I know I do! :)

  • Shelley

    I’m in – starting today!Thanks for the great idea! Goes well with Dustin’s Santa Slimdown’s gratitude journal! :-)

  • Melanie

    I’m in! Thank you for sharing this and thank you for your positivity! I think this is a great way to remind us of all the wonderful things in our lives, which we too easily forget. Also love the idea of sharing that positive energy with others!

    • thejoesweeney

      Awesome, how many of your law school professors are getting gratitude notes? :)

  • http://therxreview.com/ Michael: The Rx Review.com

    Love the website Joe. Keep the posts coming. Also love the fact this comment adds $1 to charitywater. Question is will 100 comments from me equal $100 donation?

    • thejoesweeney

      Haha. Love where your heads at and all for a good cause!! I’ll donate $1 for every “clever and value adding” comment you make up to 100. I have sole discretion as to what constitutes “clever and value adding.” Bring it!

      • http://therxreview.com/ Michael: The Rx Review.com

        Darn. I’m out. Either way great cause and loving the site. Thanks Joe!

        • thejoesweeney

          You’re wittier than you think Michael. So far I’ve got you down for 2 comments. Got any more in ya? :)

  • Donna

    I love this idea! I have been doing this periodically for the last year because of you. In fact right before Thanksgiving I sent out notes to 2 different people to thank them. I like to send handwritten notes but sometimes I don’t have a person’s address (like yours) so I use email or facebook in that case. I have lots of people in my life that I am thankful for but don’t always tell them. It’s amazing how good it makes you feel to send a note of thanks to someone. Thanks for reminding me to do it more often!

    I am very thankful for all the lessons I have learned from you. I have become a much happier and more grateful person in the last year, mostly due to your influence. Thanks!

    • thejoesweeney

      Donna – thank you for being such a consistent contributor to this blog and awesome to hear about all your progress, persistence and success (I wonder if there’s any connection – haha :) ! Email me at josephdsweeney@gmail.com and I’ll happily send you my mailing address :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/jkos9 Josh Kosnick

    I’m grateful for u my friend! Now give some more money to charity!

    • thejoesweeney

      Right back at cha!

  • http://twitter.com/KristinLynn328 Kristin Johnson

    I’m in! I’m excited :)

    • http://twitter.com/KristinLynn328 Kristin Johnson

      (PS, I know I’m late but better late than never!)

    • thejoesweeney

      AWESOME!

  • David Shawn

    Joe, you always know the right things to say. Good luck on your drive to support charity water. Happy Holidays

    • http://www.facebook.com/josephdsweeney Joe Sweeney

      Happy holidays David, thank you for the ongoing support of my blog in 2012! Wishing you happiness and health in the year ahead!

  • Zach

    Joe! I’ve set a goal to keep track of “meaningful interactions” this year. The criteria for what determines an interaction as meaningful will be more from how I feel rather than from any specific rules. I look forward to some of those being with you!

    • http://www.facebook.com/josephdsweeney Joe Sweeney

      Thanks Zach, I do also!

  • Steven

    Thank you! I am grateful for living this dream while I row row row my boat ever so gently, merrily merrily merrily in gratitude floating on the stream!

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