Last month, I was stumped on Spirit goals for June, so I crowdsourced some ideas. Justin Kownacki suggested the exercise of writing down three things I felt grateful for at the end of every day. This fit nicely with my goal to journal daily in DayOne, so I accepted the challenge.

I had low expectations. I had heard that this type of ritual can help increase your general happiness and blah blah blah. I was mostly looking for a way to document small memories of this important time in my life… to remember “how it felt to me,” as Joan Didion perfectly describes the benefit of writing things down in one of my all time favorite essays, On Keeping a Notebook (emphasis mine):

So the point of my keeping a notebook has never been, nor is it now, to have an accurate factual record of what I have been doing or thinking. That would be a different impulse entirely, an instinct for reality which I sometimes envy but do not possess. At no point have I ever been able successfully to keep a diary; my approach to daily life ranges from the grossly negligent to the merely absent, and on those few occasions when I have tried dutifully to record a day’s events, boredom has so overcome me that the results are mysterious at best.

I accepted Justin’s challenge, and I must say, I am rather shocked by the results. As the month went on, I found that my habits of mind noticeably shifted: I became aware of my gratitude in the moment. I started thinking, “I’m feeling so grateful to have this right now – this will be one of my three things today!” This was a revelation. I am not a live-in-the-moment kind of person. I am a futurist to the core, and usually thinking, mulling, planning for the hours, days, months, years to come. Feeling grateful in the moment was new to me, and at the risk of being redundant, I’m grateful for it.

I also noticed that most of the things that immediately came to mind at the end of each day were rather, well, small: a bite of fresh food, a chat with a friend, a good laugh – hardly none of the seemingly epic milestones that constantly stress me out made the list. Another seismic mental shift: The small things are the big things. 

I’m so pleased with this challenge that I’ve decided to continue it, logging at least one moment of gratitude each day. And, I had so much fun with it, that I welcome NEW Life Olympics challenges for July!

My 90 moments of gratitude from June:

I’m grateful for…

1. Lunch with Ted
2. My new standing desk
3. My new bag
4. Small problems
5. The Sangria Series
6. Nerd lunch with Robbie
7. Jen
8. Knowing so many insanely talented and creative people
9. Under-promising and over-delivering
10. Girlfriends
11. Cream puffs
12. My health
13. Friends who take me to the theatre
14. Aguachile
15. Celia
16. New office chairs
17. Summer naps
18. Having Mom back home
19. The farmers market
20. Ripe blackberries
21. A new lamp
22. My grill
23. My amazing team
24. Form D filing done!
25. People who get it
26. Katie
27. Paige
28. Great press headlines
29. Investors who believe in me
30. Privacy options on Facebook
31. Bossy ladies
32. New friends who skip the small talk
33. Ignite talks
34. Strategic partners
35. Inbound sales
36. Custom Slack icons
37. Being able to afford a new roof
38. Friends who inspire me to get in better shape
39. Bikram Yoga Baltimore
40. In season cherries
41. Mango sticky rice
42. Sore muscles
43. Bourbon
44. Honesty
45. Good neighbors
46. Bursts of creativity that feel like magic
47. Moments of silliness
48. Froyo on a hot humid day
49. Kelly
50. True professionals
51. Cadbury caramellos
52. Visits from faraway friends
53. Women who support other women
54. Productive meetings
55. Dinner with Dad
56. Memories of Pop
57. Long drives with good views
58. Picnics
59. Crystal
60. Family traditions
61. My relationship with my father
62. Poolside yoga
63. Small favors
64. Perspective
65. Welcome home cuddles
66. Fast friends
67. A fresh notebook
68. Erlinda
69. The sleepy feeling after a full day
70. Dunkin Donuts iced coffee
71. A successful first webinar
72. Laughs that make me cry
73. A team that always raises the bar
74. Working with people I love
75. Scott’s questions
76. Whiteboard sessions
77. Team happy hours
78. Friday night sleeps
79. Finding new music I love
80. Lazy Saturdays
81. Food Delivery
82. Berry season
83. Fresh tomatoes
84. Shopping trips with Mom
85. Opportunities to help friends
86. Partners who fill in the blanks
87. Serendipity
88. Work session with Steve
89. Rendezvous and hugs at the train station
90. A sense of humor