How to do a 30 day Gratitude Texting Challenge

Gratitude is one of my favorite tools for getting my life back on track and reconnecting with both with God and myself.  Whenever I find myself in one of those funky moods where I don’t know what I need but I know I need something to smooth out all the rough edges of my soul, I simply stop and make a quick list of 3 things I am grateful for at that very moment in my life.   

For a long time I created those lists just in my head, but then I realized that writing them down was so much better so I would grab scraps of paper or utilize the notes app on my phone.   

Then one day I texted my list to myself.   That’s when it hit me.   I wanted to text my list of gratitude every day to someone and I wanted to hear about all the things that other people in my life were grateful for too.   Hence the 30 day Gratitude Texting Challenge was born.

So now I always have at least one 30 day gratitude texting challenge going, but sometimes I have multiple ones going at a time with different people.

The guidelines are simple.

• Two or more people decide for 30 days they are going to text each other 3 things they are grateful for.
• Either person can start each day.
• You cannot repeat something you are grateful for within a one week span (i.e. you can’t text you are grateful for air, water and your warm bed every day even though you are)
• No shade thrown if you forget a day.  Just pick back up the next day.

I use gratitude texting challenges as a way to get to know people better.  For instance I almost always ask new sponsees to do one with me when we first start working together.  And I use it as a way to nurture my own spiritual health in moments of angst.

Some days my gratitude texts looks more like a bullet-ed grocery list:   Grateful for delicious meal today, day off tomorrow from work and my peeps in recovery.   But other days I can stretch myself to see beyond just the list:  Today I’m grateful for my mother of choice who I can always count on to support me and talk through hard decisions I have to make; I’m grateful for my house that I’ve turned into a home I love; grateful for a long walk through the woods with time to reflect and realize my part in an uncomfortable situation at work.

Try it with someone you care about and would like to get to know better.    I think you will enjoy what you learn about yourself and the other person. Comment below and let us know how you practice daily gratitude.