2020 has become a four-letter word spelled with numbers. It has provided us with plenty of opportunities to demonstrate resiliency, exercise fortitude, and otherwise overcome unexpected challenges. Adaptation, improvisation and acclimation have been common throughout the year and will likely be necessary ingredients to the years to come. At GRL Law, lessons have been learned, challenges have been faced, and obstacles have been overcome.
With everything going on, we almost overlooked the fact that GRL Law will turn 15 years old THIS MONTH! It is amazing how quickly time passes us by. We get stuck in ruts. We tend to shift our focus from a completed task to the next item on the to-do list, from the challenge completed to the challenge awaiting. We become consumed with turn after turn, hill after hill, and don’t always take the time to look back and appreciate the mountains we have just climbed. More importantly, we don’t always take the time to recognize and express gratitude to those who have helped us along the way.
We could all benefit from taking the time to intentionally divert our focus from the current culture of systemic negativity. Take just a little time to focus on the positives, identify, recognize, and celebrate personal or professional achievements, or just simply express gratitude for our current blessings. Gratitude is healthy, and it matters. Gratitude and positivity are also contagious. Now more than ever, our country could use a solid dose of a Gratitude Pandemic.
GRL Law would like to put out a challenge to our family, friends, community and country. The challenge is simple. Take a little time out of every day to reflect, identify, and appreciate something positive in your life. Once identified, help pass on the gratitude that flows from that positive experience or memory. Pick up the phone and call a long-lost friend or family member. Write a personalized thank you card to someone who has taught you a valuable lesson or made a difference in your life. Pay it forward in the coffee line. Make someone’s day with a random act of kindness. Heck, pick up a piece of littler that you catch blowing by you on a blustery fall morning. Commit to performing one intentional act of gratitude every single day that helps make the world a more positive place.
Document for yourself each act of gratitude. How you chose to document your actions is entirely up to you. But, we recommend you go old-school with a hand written entry on a calendar or journal. Trust us, it will feel surprisingly satisfying. Challenge yourself to commit to the Gratitude Pandemic from now through January 1st. Like how it makes you feel? Most certainly keep the positivity flowing as long as you wish.
Just as important, pass on the gratitude. Encourage those you interact with to help pass it on. This is the pandemic that is good for the body, mind and soul. Challenge your family, friends, co-workers, or anyone else you know to join in spreading its contagious positivity. The more involved the better! Lets work together to ignite the great Gratitude Pandemic!
