Oh, man. It’s nearly the end of the year. Can you believe it? After binge-watching “Nine Perfect Strangers” and consuming copious amounts of pie, today I’ve been self-medicating with a bit of CyberSale retail therapy. It’s been a fantastic weekend. On a side note, I aspire to become Melissa McCarthy. She embodies all I love about humorous and beautiful women.

Speaking of 2021 coming to a close, can you remember back in 2019 when we all celebrated with friends and family before the entire world all went sideways? I do. You know why? I had COVID before COVID was a thing. I got sick at the end of November and stayed that way until around February 2020. I remember it like it was yesterday. I thought I was going to kick the bucket. Seriously. I had never been so sick in my entire life as I was for those three months. When the news started breaking and people were reporting the symptoms I was, like, “Holy f*ck. I think I had that!” COVID boosters and antibody testing proved yes – it’s true. I had COVID before COVID was a buzzword. In fact, there may be new evidence revealing that the Coronavirus was in the USA before it was officially identified. Like most things though, I got me some grit. I wasn’t about to let some weird virus kill me. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term ‘grit’ – it literally means I could kick your ass. Or, with enough whisky in me, I would at least try. I got me some Webster County Roots so I don’t cower easily. And not the fancy, holier-than-thou “I’m rich and want to live in the country Rogersville section” of Webster County. I’m from the shit-kicker side where the small-town Sherriff is as crooked as a switchback on a hiking trail if you know what I mean. (Seemingly less crooked than the Dallas County Sherriff, and not at all as crooked as the Greene County one, but crooked nonetheless) So, case in point, I want to go out of this world with my boots on…or under Rip Wheeler’s bunk…not be killed by a virus. I never want to be a statistic. (Because being in love with my fictitious boyfriend isn’t ‘statistic-y’ at all. *Rolls eyes*.)

Except for today. Today I do want to be a statistic. A good one. So, grab yerself (that’s Marshfield talk) a drink and settle in. We are going to make a plan for the next thirty days to rewire our brains to focus on the positive instead of the negative all the time. We are going to be one of the few who, statistically, change their lives by being better, more grateful, humans.

As you know, if you’ve been reading as of late, I’m on a journey of self-discovery. For example, I’ve learned I love to be in nature….and even like to hike in it…when the weather is between 45-75 degrees. Any temperature below or above that range…well…that’s just nonsense. Shivering gives me a headache and I most definitely don’t like getting all ‘schweaty’ in my ‘schweaty’ parts, if you catch my drift. (Boy…I digress easily, don’t I?)

ANYWAY…I’ve become a statistic because I’ve proven that an ‘attitude of gratitude’ really does bring about enormous changes in our life – with little to no effort on our part. Seriously. By just expressing gratitude you can rewire the neuropathways in your brain – essentially training yourself to look for the positive instead of the negative, in most cases. Additionally, you can manifest even more of the things / experiences that bring you gratitude, and you can start to recognize things / experiences that do not serve your Higher Good quicker so you can get the hell out of Dodge faster.

It all started when I rewatched this TedTalk by Sean Achor. I’d seen this video a million times, but this time I actually did what it suggested. I journaled every day for 21 days in a row – listing three things every day for which I was grateful. Truthfully, some days it was not easy (Day 13: I am grateful for toothpaste, toilet paper, and my slippers). Other days – epiphanies. So. Many. Epiphanies. Admittedly, I’m not as disciplined at the current moment as I was for the first 21 days, but I do journal my gratitude list more often than not, which has changed so much about my life.

Do tell, you say. Fine, Nosy.

The more I identified who and what for which I was grateful, the more those folks and items appeared in my life. Through writing about how grateful I was for the gift of my son, I was able to forgive and – dare I say – have the occasional decent conversation with my ex-husband. He even smiled at me once recently. (I checked. For the record, hell had not frozen over.) The more gratitude I expressed for my job – even on the tough days – the more similar (and better) opportunities came my way. The more I was grateful for my body and its level of health, the healthier and better I felt. The more I was grateful for a good nights’ rest, the more nights I slept well. Enough? Okay, then.

This leads me to a little challenge for you, today. No psychedelics expected (if you haven’t seen “Nine Perfect Strangers” you will not get this reference) and I’ll participate alongside you, too. In fact, I’ll participate in public – I’ve added another temporary page here. Let’s create our own Happiness Advantage, shall we?

I’m proposing a 30-day journaling program for you. Nothing difficult – no long paragraph(s) required. Let’s train our brains to be more positive! I must note that I’m not talking about Toxic Postivity here. In fact, ironically, I abhor toxic positivity. As an INTJ I don’t even think I’m capable of faking my way into a good day. It goes against my very nature. So, if your day is shitty, it’s okay to admit it was shitty.

However, I posit, and Sean Achor posits, that even on shitty days, you can find three things for which you are grateful. “Today I am grateful for oxygen, Xanax, and the ability to silent all notifications.” See? That ain’t so hard, right?

So, here we go.

December 1st is right around the corner. You can really start anytime you want, but I recommend the sooner the better. Plus, this gives me four days to satisfy my notebook fetish by getting my antisocial ass over to the bookstore for a fancy new journal. (Yes, I really mean I will go over to Staples and get myself another black and white composition book as if I didn’t hoard them when school supplies went on sale, but you don’t have to be so judgy, Margo.)

Before you get started on your journaling, please do the following to kick off the process:

A) Watch the TedTalk by Sean Achor – here’s the link: https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en#t-661214
B) Get yourself something to write in and buy yourself a cool new pen
C) Decide on your metrics – I’m a Virgo, I’m big on metrics. Examples: I will write every day for 21 days starting on MM/DD/YYYY and ending on MM/DD/YYYY; I’ll write for two minutes a day starting with my three things for which I am grateful for a period of thirty days; I’ll walk outside for ten minutes every day for XX days, then journal about my thoughts for three minutes)
D) Commit to sending a handwritten note or an email every day to someone who has made a positive difference in your life for ten days in a row (new day, new person – not ten emails to one person, fool.) Go on, make the list of people now. (If they have set boundaries and don’t want to hear from you…then please respect those).

Once you’ve done these things, you are ready to begin. If you are following along with me and doing the 30-day gratitude list, then here are some prompts for you (of course, you do you. I’m just sayin’ if you want some help…)

Day 1: I am grateful for…
Day 2: Today I smiled because…
Day 3: Today I was most proud when…
Day 4: The most hilarious thing to happen today was…
Day 5: I really enjoyed…
Day 6: One thing I’m glad I learned today was…
Day 7: I was pleasantly surprised today when…
Day 8: One beautiful thing I saw today was…
Day 9: I am excited to…
Day 10: I enjoy my *family because…(*This can be your ‘chosen’ family.)
Day 11: Today I was inspired by…
Day 12: The best thing that happened today was…
Day 13: I love the smell of…
Day 14: I am grateful that during my childhood I was able to…
Day 15: The best thing about my home is…
Day 16: I am glad that I can do…
Day 17: I am thankful for my past relationships because I learned…
Day 18: I take for granted these conveniences that other people around the world don’t have…
Day 19: The best part about being married/single is…
Day 20: I love having time alone because…
Day 21: One habit that has improved my life is…
Day 22: I felt loved today when…
Day 23: A childhood memory that makes me smile is…
Day 24: My favorite song is…
Day 25: My favorite article of clothing is…
Day 26: One thing that made my life easier today was…
Day 27: My most treasured friend is…
Day 28: My favorite thing about my body is…
Day 29: I am grateful that my home…
Day 30: The mentor who truly inspired me was_________ because….

So…who’s in? Let me know in the comments.

I’ll leave you with this song since we’re talking about growing up in Webster County. This song is from a man’s point of view, but you can replace the word “Boys” with “Gals” and it’s my anthem. Also, can I just say: I’m so excited to join you in this journey. {Claps hands excitedly} Namaste.

PS…If you love this post or think others might enjoy it, please consider sharing it on social media. I appreciate you spreading the love!