31 Days of Gratitude

Oh my. The Nester has set this challenge to blog for 31 days straight. Truthfully, I’ve created nowhere near 31 blog posts this year (it’s actually 1/3 of that amount this year). I normally love to focus on house and DIY projects and recipes, but know that I don’t have enough time/money to do 31 DIY-types of posts. When looking at some of the topics that other bloggers came up with, one stuck with me: 31 days of gratefulness. For the sake of creating something unique, I am calling this “31 Days of Gratitude”.

Dr. Martin Seligman, a “happiness researcher” at the University of Pennsylvania is a pioneer in the field of positive psychology. Through his research in the field of positive psychology, he has found that happy people live longer and ward off illnesses more often than their “negative nelly” counterparts. Two specific ways to increase happiness involve gratitude which are outlined in this US News & World Report article and which I quote here:

Make a gratitude visit. Deliver a thank-you note to someone who's been especially kind or helpful but never properly appreciated. When you feel thankful, you get pleasure from remembering a positive life event. Plus, you'll strengthen a relationship that may bring you future happiness.

Focus on the good things. You probably spend more time each day thinking about what went wrong rather than what went right. Jot down three things that went well each day and explain why. "This will help you feel more grateful for what you have and more hopeful about the future," says Seligman.

It appears that this notion of gratitude, then, has some research backing it up. Gratitude can help make a person happier and healthier with an eye on longevity.

I sat down to plan out my blog posts for 31 days and started thinking of things I am grateful for. I worked on the list for a while and counted out 8 things I was grateful for. Hmmm… not exactly 31 things. I kept at it, and may I say that my cup overflowed. Once I got in the flow of things, I ended up with 40 things that I am thankful for (and that I believe would make a good blog topic).

And so, my focus for these 31 days is blogging for a positive “attitude of gratitude”, but with a focus on my blog topics: DIY and home. Thanks for joining me! What are you grateful for? Nicole

Day 1: 31 Days of Gratitude
Day 2: Making a house a home
Day 3: Thankful for thrift shops
Day 4: Grateful for Fall
Day 5: Grateful for Grandmothers
Day 6: The Pauses in Between
Day 7: Neighbors
Day 8: The unexpected
Day 9: Edible decor is no more
Day 10: Pumpkins
Day 11: State fairs and chili snack mix
Day 12: Day-tripper
Day 13: The extraordinary in the ordinary
Day 14: Grateful for... Chalk Paint?
Day 15: Grateful for gatherings of family & friends
Day 16: Free floor planning software
Day 17: Thinking about Thanksgiving
Day 18: A little organizing
Day 19: Give Thanks printable
Day 20: HGTV's Defend the Trend
Day 21: There's a new kid in town
Day 22: Kitchen thoughts
Day 23: Bow Tie Pasta Stackers
Day 24: Behold the Front Porch
Day 25: It's the Little Things
Day 26: Go Back to What You Know
Day 27: Happy Halloween
Wrap-Up