If you know anything about me or this blog, you are probably aware that I’m a big proponent of gratitude. I believe that gratitude should be part of of each and every day, not just the special occasions and holidays. But, since the Day of Giving Thanks is upon us, I wanted to take the opportunity to express some unconventional gratitude:

I am grateful for the people who have broken my heart, and for those who don’t believe in me.

I am grateful for stressful work days, and the times when my eyes glaze over from staring at Excel.

I am grateful for the hours I spent in hospitals while my mom was sick.

I am grateful for having to divide my time between parents.

I am grateful for the months of unemployment, and the countless cover letters I’ve written.

I am grateful for fear and pain, disappointment and negativity.

I am grateful for all of these things because they have shown me my own strength, and that is something for which I can never say thank you enough.

What challenges are you grateful for?

A short post today with an important reminder: nothing is certain, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Appreciate everything and everyone in your life, and be grateful for every day.

Joplin, MO: Before and After

This weekend, I’m traveling to Ithaca to celebrate my future brother-in-law‘s college graduation. We won’t be able to stay for all of the graduation festivities on Sunday because we’ll be driving to New Jersey for a friend’s wedding that evening. I’ve known this friend since we were about 10 years old, and I’m so excited to share in her special day!  It won’t be the most relaxing long weekend, but it will be full of happiness, celebration, and love, and for that I am grateful. How are you celebrating this holiday weekend?

“Celebrate we will because life is short, but sweet for certain.”
Dave Matthews Band

Not long ago, I got an email from a publisher asking me to review a book. They had gotten my name from Marcos Salazar, who recommended me to them because he knows the topic is one that’s very close to my heart. The book is called On Gratitude, and it’s by Todd Aaron Jensen, a freelance journalist who has had featured bylines in more than 100 publications around the world. Over the course of a number of years, Jensen sat down with more than 50 celebrities to talk about the people, places and things in their lives for which they are most grateful. It’s kind of like the Appreciation Revolution: Celebrity Edition, but in my opinion, my revolutionaries are the true celebrities, everyday heroes in their own right.

Overall, the book is very well written, and Jensen’s journalistic training and experience shine through. At points, he tries a little too hard when describing the celebrities in the intro to each chapter. He uses too many big words, and tends to bog down the meat of his message. Occasional wordiness aside, Jensen does justice to the lives of these celebrities (clearly well researched) and puts their stories of gratitude into context. Some of the celebs are (not surprisingly) more eloquent than others, but there were certain points that were made that really stuck out in my mind. I’ll share them with you here, but I encourage you to give the book a read yourselves. I’m happy to pass on my copy to someone, just let me know if you’re interested.

It’s so easy to allow one day to simply follow into the next, but every once in a while we encounter something that shows us that anything is possible, that dramatic change is possible, that something new can be made, that laughter can be shared.     

Jonathan Safran Foer, author

Both in good fiction and in life, you may not always get what you want, but you will probably get what you need. We should be grateful for these things.     

Neil Gaiman, author

You have to live your life completely…No one’s out to get you. The nature of life is: Someday you’re gonna lose it. So you’d better live it. And you can’t live afraid. Do not be ruled by fear.     

Nikki Giovanni, poet

You can look at your life and say, “I’m so glad that this wonderful thing happened,” but we rarely do that with sad things. Maybe we should.

I finally realized I’m always writing about the same thing: this core belief that ordinary people can change the world. I don’t care where you went to school. I don’t care how much money you make. What I care about is regular people. That’s how the world changes.

Brad Meltzer, author

Any chance you have to see the world through someone else’s eyes is always a gift. It allows you to live your own life more clearly.     

Forest Whitaker, actor

My favorite part of the book may well be the last chapter entitled “You on gratitude.” Jensen says “You don’t have to be rich or famous for gratitude to matter.” Amen. He reminds us to be grateful every day, and share that gratitude with others. He even provides some starter questions for those who have a tough time being grateful. I believe in the power of gratitude to change your life and the lives of others. One simple thank you or compliment can mean the world to someone, and seeing them happy will put a smile on your face too. 

Check out the Appreciation Revolution for more on how to make gratitude a part of your everyday life.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from a publicist asking me if I would be interested in helping promote a new book on my blog. Several of my friends had already held giveaways, so I decided I wanted to read the book myself and feature it here. That turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

The title of this book, Operation Beautiful, represents a movement started by one woman and a Post-It note. Caitlin Boyle was tired of watching women pick themselves apart in front of the mirror, so one day, she posted a note in a public bathroom that said “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!” Little did she know, this one selfless action would inspire people around the world, change the way many people see themselves and redefine beauty.

Caitlin’s book is primarily made up of stories from various Operation Beautiful participants, and pictures of their Post-It messages, but she also provides valuable advice on the numerous factors that affect our self image. She addresses the all too prevalent “fat talk,” and the danger in comparing ourselves to the images we see in the media.  Another chapter covers fitness and how to develop healthy exercise habits, and set realistic, fulfilling goals.  The section on food talks about the battle with food that many people face, and details a plan for “The Dietless Diet” that focuses on eating real, natural foods in reasonable portions.  It’s important to develop a support system among your family and friends, but also have to learn to rely on yourself.

One of the most universal lessons Caitlin relays is that transforming the way you see yourself is an ongoing process. She’s still learning to love who she is on the inside and the outside, and she recognizes that it’s not always easy, but that certainly doesn’t make it impossible. Reading the stories of people who have battled eating disorders and other demons, and those who have never been told that their beautiful or been able to believe it, is further proof that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it may take you a while to reach it.

Every single one of us has battled self image issues at some point in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s something I struggle with every day. Looking in the mirror, my thoughts automatically go towards criticizing my imperfections. I know deep down that I’m beautiful, but sometimes it’s hard to truly believe it. I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. The stories people tell are relatable and real, and it’s amazing to see the power of positive thinking. It’s not just someone telling you that it works, but story after story of specific ways that is has.

I’ve always been someone who derives as much joy from seeing the people I care about happy as I do from my own happiness. That’s why I send cards for random holidays, and try my best to be an encouraging and supportive friend. Each person who has participated in Operation Beautiful has found that whether they are the one who posts a note, or the one who sees it, they feel instantly better. This is just further proof that small selfless acts have a major impact.

As I read through Operation Beautiful, I saw so many messages that relate to my own Appreciation Revolution. While many of the Revolution posts focused on appreciating the people and things in our lives, it’s important to remember that we have to appreciate ourselves too. Be grateful for your body, regardless of whatever imperfections you perceive it to have. Being alive and healthy is a miracle that should not be taken for granted.

Beauty is subjective, and it has many definitions. It’s not shiny hair, long legs, or a size 0 waist. It’s compassion, selflessness, and generosity. One of my favorite descriptions of beauty in this book is from Jessica Daly, a 24-year-old from Trexlertown, PA: “The deeper I have dug, the more I have found that outward beauty is fleeting. If I were only to seek outward beauty my entire life, I would die incredibly unfulfilled. Beauty is in laughter with friends and family. Beauty comes when we open our hearts to those in need. Beauty is watching the sunrise on your back porch with your spouse. Beauty is in me. Beauty is not skin deep.” So, write your own definition. Read this book, and check out OperationBeautiful.com. Leave your own note somewhere, and let me know if you’re not smiling the rest of the day, because I’ll be totally surprised.

One of my favorite posts from the Appreciation Revolution series, was Grace Boyle’s The Gratitude List. It was all about taking the time to write down the things you’re grateful for, instead of just thinking about them, or forgetting about them altogether.  Today, we’re going to have a community gratitude list. If it goes well, I might make it a regular thing. I’ll start it off, and you can add on in the comments. Encourage your friends and family and Twitter followers to stop by and be grateful too. Have a fantastic day!

Today, I am grateful for the fact that my knee hurts a little less than it has every other day this week. I’m grateful that my work bag is big enough to fit everything I need, plus two pairs of shoes when I can’t decide which one I’ll want to wear out to dinner after work. I am incredibly grateful for my parents, my boyfriend, and my friends. I am grateful that today is a new day.

Photo Credit

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to show appreciation and gratitude. Here are some ideas for little things you can do that will make a big difference:

• Bring flowers for your hostess, especially if she’s your mom! Flowers are an easy way to recognize the effort your host and hostess put into the meal, and shows how grateful you are to be among family and friends on Thanksgiving.
• Invite someone to dinner who would otherwise be alone. Do you have a friend who is new to the area or far from home? Ask them to spend Thanksgiving with you. They will appreciate it more than you know.
• Take a break from watching football to volunteer. Find a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter, or see if a program like Meals on Wheels has a chapter in your community.  You can also ask everyone to bring a non-perishable food item to Thanksgiving dinner and donate the collection to a food pantry the next day.
• Literally say thanks. It sounds corny, but go around the table and have everyone say what they’re thankful for this year. Actually having to vocalize what we’re grateful for forces us to really think about it, and helps us to appreciate the people and things we have in our lives.

Another thing you can do is take a few minutes to stop by Life’s Chocolates on Thanksgiving Day. I’ve got something special in the works! If you haven’t already, please @ me on Twitter and let me know why you’re thankful for social media. Thanks!

You may call him dad, daddy, father, pops, old man, or padre. Maybe you’ve been close your whole life, or things have been strained, or you just recently found that you have more in common than you thought. It’s Father’s Day, and that means that it’s the perfect time to show the father figures in your life some appreciation. You don’t have to do much, in fact, it only takes one word: thanks.  Write it, say it, send it, show it.   Happy Father’s Day!

Me and my Dad

I do all of this writing about appreciating people, and I’m not sure if my message is getting through. So, what better way to find out than with a challenge! Who can say no to a challenge, right? Especially if said challenge has prizes! That’s right, those who best complete the challenge will receive, what else, their favorite chocolate, courtesy of yours truly! Yum! Now that I’ve got your attention, I challenge all of you to show your appreciation today. Here’s how you can do it:

• Write a blog post about someone (or several someones) who you are grateful to have in your life, and say why.

• Tweet about specific Twitter friends and thank them for their comments, support, help, friendship etc.

• Leave that comment you’ve been meaning to leave, and throw in a compliment about the blog design, the blogger’s writing or something else  you like about them.

• Find someone who is new to blogging and/Twitter, and leave them some encouragment.

Non-Digital Methods of Appreciation:

• Ask someone who usually sits alone if they want to eat lunch with you today.

• Thank someone for holding the door for you, or say hello to the building cleaning lady or doorman who you wouldn’t normally talk to.

• Give  your spare change to a homeless person on the sidewalk, without worrying about what they’ll use it for.

• Thank a co-worker for their hard work, and tell them what a great job they’ve been doing.

This challenge is all about making people feel good, putting a smile on their face. It’s such an easy thing to do and there are so many ways to do it, and yet we don’t do it nearly enough. These are only suggestions, and I definitely welcome and encourage creativity in completing the challenge. I do ask that you focus on specific people instead of general groups, it’s just a little more special that way. Remember there’s no right or wrong way to do this, don’t worry that you’re not doing enough or that you may be doing too much.

Once you’ve spread the love, comment on this post to tell everyone what you did (links are welcome), and you’ll be in the running for some chocolatey goodness! You can comment as many times as you want, the more appreciation the better. Thank you for participating in this challenge, I really appreciate it, and good luck!