Gratitude challenge is for everyone

Joe Jancsurak
Editor

Increasingly, we seem to be entering an era of social media challenges. By now most everyone is familiar with the ALS ice bucket challenges being issued and proven via video posts on Facebook. More important, the effort has raised nearly $42 million for the cause.

Another social media challenge that won’t raise a single dollar, but will raise personal awareness, is “The Gratitude Challenge.”

It works like this: you’re minding your own business, reading Facebook posts, when one of your FB friends, while sharing three things for which he or she is grateful, issues a challenge to three FB friends to do the same. If your name is among them, then it’s up to you to decide if you will spend the next seven days sharing three things for which you are grateful. For your efforts, you get to challenge three of your friends to do the same.

This recently happened to me. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes and pretend like I never saw the challenge. I pretended for two days before accepting the challenge; tomorrow will be my last day as a participant. I would say that I’m grateful for that, but the truth is I’m glad I accepted the challenge and I intend to make thinking of three things for which I am grateful a part of my personal morning (not Social Media) routine.

If you want to see what I’ve been spending the past week sharing, please look for me on Facebook. My posts range from the profound (at least for me) to the primal. (Cheeseburger anyone? I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57, and French-fried potatoes . . .).

The point is, or should be, that gratitude habit can be fun, and in a work environment it could go a long way when it comes to relationship-building with employees, customers, and vendors.

So consider this challenge: begin your day thinking of three persons to whom you can express your gratitude. It could be an employee to whom you may say thanks for always being on time, or a customer for making you laugh with a silly joke, or a vendor for the way he listens to your concerns.

Showing gratitude: now that’s a challenge all of us can, and should, accept.

Joe Jancsurak, Editor | jjancsurak@gie.net
216-236-5960 | Twitter: @Greenhousemag