#416 : 15th Day of 30DLBL Challenge – Gratitude

Hey, it’s already mid point of my 30 Days Live a Better Life Challenge Journey :).. The 15th day task is Gratitude.

The 15th task is really connected to the 14th one. While in the 14th, we asked to look back at the past, for some milestones and events that made what we are today, in the 15th, we are asked to write a kind of gratitude statement, to all of those who has helped us until today.

Introduction

I see gratitude as a best way to enjoy life gift. Why ? Because, by gratitude, we will feel light, not be burdened by the setbacks of life. If we have something to be grateful of, then it means we, at least, have something good in our life. Sometimes, we often feel like our life was the worst around any one else, complain that ‘Why did this happen to me ?’. But, with gratitude, we will say ‘Whoah. Thank you, this great thing happened to me. I would like to have more in the future’. So, gratitude means being grateful, and we would like to repeat those gift in the future. I don’t think it’s the same with greed, because grateful is really connected to your most sincere-heart.

However, specifically, being grateful to have someone else in our life is really good. As we are a social organism, we love a situation when other people respect us, love us, care about us. We are really lucky to have someone important in our life then. Since people are not the same with things, your gratitude statement will have a greater impact. It will not just the same, if you are grateful to ‘things’ and ‘human’. Someone else (including yourself) will be very happy, if they heard that what they had done encourage another people, and that people thank them.

So, start the day with being gratitude, and maybe, in the end of the day, you will even get something bigger to be grateful of.

Today’s Task

The full article about this task is available here.

Part 1: Write What You’re Grateful For

Start on a new page of your 30DLBL workbook. On top, write “Things I’m Grateful For In My Life”. The main task for today is to write what you’re grateful for in life. Below are helping points for you as you write them:

1. Look back to what you wrote for yesterday’s reflection exercise. Look at who you are and how far you’ve come.
   1. Who would you like to give thanks to?
   2. What would you like to give thanks to?
2. What are you grateful for in your life today?
   • People: Think about your family, your friends, colleagues, acquaintances. Each of them play a special role in your life. What are you grateful to each of them for?
   • Things: What do you have in your life? What are you grateful about?
   • Place: Where do you stay? What are you grateful about it?
   • Experiences: What have you experienced in your life? What are you grateful about each of them?
3. Imagine if you are to swap bodies with a random person on the street now. What would you miss? What would you want back? These are the things that matter to you.
4. As you move through today, look at everything with a sense of awe and wonder. Imagine if this is not in your life. How would you feel? Is this something you’re grateful to have?

Write down as many things as you can, even if it may seem small. Nothing is too small to give gratitude to.

Some of you may have created your own gratitude journals in the past, where you write down what you’re grateful for. You can still do this exercise all the same! Gratitude has no boundaries. Through gratitude, we grow as souls.

Part 2: Let Others Know Your Gratitude

The 2nd part of the exercise is to let others know about your gratitude. Many times we don’t express thanks overtly, especially to people that are close to us, because we feel that they should know it intuitively. Yet we should, because unless we let them know how we really feel, they won’t know. Making gratitude a part of our daily

1. List down at least 3 people you want to give thanks to.
2. Think about what you’re grateful to them about. From the little things they do for you daily, to specific incidences.
3. Write a thank you note / email / card to each of them. On it, write:
   1. Thank him/her and why you’re saying thanks
   2. How much you appreciate him/her
   3. What he/she means to you
4. Send the note off to him/her. Check to ensure he/she gets it.

You can do this in person, though most people may find it awkward to do so. Having it down on paper / email is also a nice way for the other party to have remembrance.

Giving gratitude isn’t just a 30DLBL 1 day event. It’s an every day activity. The point of doing it today for 30DLBL is to get you into practice of doing it so you can continue to do it moving forward.

Things I’m Grateful For in My Life

• First, to my parents, who have been really supportive to me until now. They give me freedom, to choose whatever i want to do (of course, in a protective way). They never force they will to me. They really the biggest factor that make me ‘me’ today.
• My sister, who is a really good partner for me in everything. We often share each other stories, discussing our life story, such as relationship, schools life, etc. Sometimes, we have small argument, but, we easily get through the problems.
• My healthy body, that let me do much activities in my life.
• My family members, everyone, that if i name one by one, this post will be a novel (maybe) LoL.
• My childhood friends, that we still be friend until now. Although we don’t meet each other everyday like we did in school, but we still keep communicating and still have meetings, especially if one of us having birthday.
• Lab Assistant Partners, especially Glenn and Felix, that we shared 2.5 horrible but fun years. And the others, such as Maryati, Arif, David, Joan, etc. Being a lab assistant is really tiring, handful of jobs. But, still, after retiring, i think something is missing in my life. LoL. It’s really ironic that sometimes, when we still was the lab assistant, when we had troubles, we really want to quit.
• Lab Coordinator, Mr Yosi, Mrs Esther, Mrs Suhatati. For any kind of collaboration and support they give to us.
• My teachers, from elementary school until my undergraduate study, that really give me knowledge, broad knowledge that will be my biggest wealth for my life.
• Mr Gunawan, my Final Project supervisor, and have taught me in some subjects. He really opened up my mind about what Computer Science really is, and i’m so grateful to have him as my lecturer, that he gave us very broad knowledge, inspiring stories, etc.
• My best friends from high school, such as Carissa, that i think quite know me better, since we have been best friend for about, 5 years, and since then, i discussed a lot of things with her :D. Then, TJB Group, Amel, Ivana, Herman, Pras, Erwin, Edwin, for being nice and helpful friends..
• Best friend in Uni life, such as Dean, Daniel, Arya, Irawan, etc. Sometimes, even in a miserable situation, they still able to make me laugh. LoL.
• My Chinese traditional music orchestra group, give me very enjoyable experience, from the practice sessions until the shows we had together.
• My Mandarin course friends and lao shi (teachers).
• My part-time works boss, who give me a lot of new experiences in the working field.
• Any of my girl friends, that ever close to me (although until now i’m still single. LoL). that made me falling in love LoL.
• My schools and university, that give me quite high standard of education (personally). I think it will be a precious stuff to prepare my future study.
• My computer, laptop, mobile phone, that really support me in everything I Do.
• My blog, where i can write anything i want 🙂
• My blog readers, that let me still writing 🙂
• My personal trainer (i used to hire personal trainer, at the beginning of my fitness life). He taught me a lot on gym-stuff. And i’m really grateful for that, that now, i can do it by myself. We still often meet each other 🙂
• Of course, to Celes, for 30DLBL Challenge, for the TPEB as the resource of many great things. This program really have a great impact in my life, in a better way 🙂
• The country i live in, especially for the city. Surabaya, although not as big as Jakarta, but is really far more trouble-less. The life cost still affordable to enjoy life 😀
• Every holiday trips i had, to Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Lombok Island, etc. Such inspiring moments to visit them, with so many different beautiful cultures, enrich my life.
• My Books, every books that i had.
• My friends who joined the 30DLBL together, Sisil, Rio, Amel.
• New friends that i get from 30DLBL, whose sharing enrich my life too, such as Kate, Kirsten, Himitsuko, Qin Tang, etc.. Really inspiring guys, all of you 🙂
• My facebook friends and twitter followers. (although maybe i don’t know all of you well, but still, thank you for being my friend)
• This September 2010, such a great month, that i had wonderful holiday trip, i joined this 30 DLBL program
• Any competitions i join, whether i win/lose. It gave me experiences to get better in the future.
• and any other things i can describe/remember properly

I am surprise to see so many things that i can be grateful of. If i am going to search more and more detail, i’m sure it will become a novelet, short novel. LoL. But, seeing the list, i’m really grateful to have them in my life, that although sometimes i think my life quite tough (but, now, i see my life is still more lucky then any others in this world.. should be grateful more!), i won’t want to exchange them 😀

For the 2nd part, i will add them in this post once i have contacted them (i plan to say that when i chat to them), or the email/notes.

* I Have found them when i wrote comment in the 30DLBL post.. LoL*

The Person I Would Like to Give a Gratitude

1. Celes
For this great and motivational blog (TPEB), and the inspiring program (30 DLBL). It has a great impact of my life, since i’ve became more conscious of my life through the journey with this program. Some challenges are really great to discover what i really want to, while the 14th and 15th make me remember and be grateful of the life i had.
Thank you so much Celes. for this blog and 30DLBL Challenge..

2. Everyone of 30DLBL Participants.
First time i joined this program, i think, well maybe it will be just the same, whether i actively or passively join. But, as the journey of this program, i see that the participants driving me to be more involved to this program, by sharing and giving feedback to others. Honestly, i’m quite a passive person (i rarely give comment to others/get involved, usually just read through it and keep it for myself :p).. but, by joining this program, i found a lot supporting people, who want to grow up better, just like me, and they also love to share what they have, so why don’t i try to do the same things..
So, thank you everyone, the other participants, for being supportive friends in this program ..

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Keep writing (for me), and keep reading (for readers) LoL..

*well, now, i’m quite left behind 1 task per day in 30DLBL Program. LoL.. But, better late than never :p