Why your gratitude journal isn't working ...

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#GratitudeGRAVY day 1

Consider the expression, "thank you". We've said it a million times. It's a habitual response. We say thank you for everything. Thanks, thank you, TY, Thx, sometimes we throw out a folded hands emoji and call it a day 🙏.

We speak it, we text it, we demand our kids say it, but do we mean it?
It's a knee-jerk generalized response. Conditioned by societal norms and Miss Manners. But as it's tossed around for everything, we become desensitized to the true power of experiencing and expressing gratitude.

Let's be real, should the same word be used to convey the same level of sincerity when someone politely holds the door open for us at a coffee shop as when someone holds our hand in the hospital?

Ummm probably not.

But in lieu of rewriting the English language and inventing a new vocabulary, let's decide that when someone does us a solid, we'll add some specificity instead.

Specificity staves off gratitude fatigue!

One reason why gratitude practices don't last beyond the Thanksgiving leftovers is that we are gratitude generalists. The key ingredient that's usually missing is specificity.

Gratitude researchers have even found that gratitude has a much greater impact on your wellbeing when you're SPECIFIC about what you're grateful for.

Specificity--->It's the secret sauce to gratitude gravy!

If you just make vague placemat proclamations one day out of the year saying you're thankful for your health, your home, your family and then do that over and over, again ... you'll bore the bejesus out of yourself. You'll be sick of your practice before it even gets started.

Here's an example:

If I'm grateful for my husband, Matt, I don't want my gratitude journal to just say: "I'm grateful for Matt" or "I'm grateful for my family." That's being a bland gratitude generalist.

A specific gravy version of gratitude for my husband is saying something like,
"I'm grateful for my husband, Matt. I love that every week he goes to the grocery store and cooks me a rotisserie chicken for my lunches during the week. I'm grateful that he drives Jacey to dance after dark every night so I can be at home in my pajamas.

On my birthday, Valentine's Day, and every Hallmark holiday, he draws me very silly cards with a monkey on the front and a big pep talk on the inside about how I need to keep going for my dreams. He's silly with the girls at bedtime and tries to steal their stuffed animals, and I'm grateful that they know they are so loved by their dad.

I'm grateful that last summer he helped drive my photo campers all around when my classes were completely booked, he made s'mores at our house with 12 kids and he catered multiple Life Feast events for me all last year. He has the best sense of humor and hilarious one-liners that always help me take life less seriously.

Now it's your turn...

Gratitude Gravy Practice 1:

Think of something you're grateful for right now. It can be a person, place or a thing. Now write/type 5 sentences about why you're grateful for him/her/it. Get up close and personal. Remember to be specific! Don't stop at 1 sentence. The whole point of doing 5 is to flex your descriptive muscles and to really feel the gratitude rather than just have it be a rote response.

Want extra gravy?

Post your gratitude on social media with the hashtag #gratitudegravy tag the person, place or thing to let them know you're singing their praises.

You can also share with me and others on Instagram. I'll be adding some gravy to my stories...

Remember, don't be a gratitude generalist ... as Marie Forleo says, the dividends are in the details!

TY🙏-
Lizzie

Coach & Creator of Gratitude GRAVY & The Life Feast

PS If you know anyone who would enjoy this free daily gratitude challenge, please tell them to sign up here. There's no "behind" in gratitude gravy, anyone can jump in at anytime.

PPS If we've never met before, I'm so thrilled that you're here. I'm Lizzie and at this point, all you probably know about me is that I like gratitude and I'm married to a guy named Matt. You can get to know me a little bit over here. And I'll be sharing much more throughout the challenge.

One more tidbit, the photos are all mine (unless noted otherwise) and I'm extremely grateful to my cameras for capturing little moments that I can savor. Ok, now I'd love for you to introduce yourself to me at some time.