For a number of years, Ann has been blogging at A Holy Experience, and through another blogger in November 2006, I was introduced to Ann's challenge to list 1000 gifts the Lord has given.
At the time, the Christmas season was approaching, and lists filled most people's minds ... to-do lists, shopping lists, wish lists, menu lists, party lists, etc. Ann challenged herself (and her readers) to consider the gifts God gives everyday instead of being overwhelmed by these other lists.
Her 1000 gifts list focused on the gifts for which no money was spent, such as beauty we see in the natural world, kindnesses shown by friends, the ways we sense the Lord's care for us, and other things we tend to take for granted, such as water coming out of multiple faucets in our home.
I took the challenge, and my friends noticed a difference in my attitude. I eventually reached one thousand, and stopped. And my friends noticed a difference (for the worse) in my attitude. So, I started again, and have kept at it, although in recent years I have only done it once a week and in a public setting (on this blog), so I haven't listed more personal gifts.
Ann is challenging readers this year to take The Joy Dare. List three gifts EVERYDAY in 2012. To get us started, she has provided a month's worth of writing prompts here. Scroll down below the beautiful page of prompts and click on her words there: {Download to print here}.
I printed it last night, and by using her prompts, already see my eyes being opened to gifts I've been ignoring. Won't you join me?
(The printable includes ways to list your gifts on Facebook and Twitter, but I'm just doing it the old fashioned way, with paper and pen.)
If you're on the fence, consider this, from Ann:
And in this keeping habit of keeping a gratitude list?
1. Have a relative absence of stress and depression. (Woods et al., 2008)Who doesn’t want all that?
2. Make progress towards important personal goals (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)
3. Report higher levels of determination and energy (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)
4. Feel closer in their relationships and desire to build stronger relationships (Algoe and Haidt, 2009)
5. Increase your happiness by 25% — (Who wouldn’t want a quarter more happiness!) (McCullough et al., 2002)
1 comment:
I'm doing this too!
By the way...using those little jars for salad dressing is such a fabulous idea! My sweet friends made them for me, so I only use them for salt and pepper...since she lovingly poked wholes in the lids. :)
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