The List
the spirit of Thanksgiving, I will do a 3-part series on Thanksgiving. First of all, I will share how a list forever changed my life and the person behind it. This week will include two as I was late posting last week! Happy Bonus week y’all! The final post will come the morning before Thanksgiving so y’all will have time to read! Don’t miss the special edition!
Over a decade ago, I was one of the most negative people alive, according to a close friend who has remained more of a sibling figure in my life than anything else. His name is Bob, and he called me out on my negativity one fall. I was given an ultimatum. Find something positive to say or never contact my friend again. It wasn’t so much a threat, but a promise. He could no longer stand my negativity. I struggled for weeks and couldn’t seem to find anything to be grateful for or positive towards. I had food to eat and a roof over my head. At the time, I was part of a wonderful small group with some amazing people who significantly influenced my life, yet my heart and mind were dialed into so much negativity I could not see what was in front of me. I no longer recall what it was, but I finally found one thing to be thankful for and reached out to Bob. Slowly, another thing came to mind, yet he saw right through me and knew how much I was still struggling.
It was finally nearing the holiday of celebrating all there is to be thankful for, Thanksgiving. Bob challenged me to create a list of a few items I was grateful for that year. Finally, I managed but told my friend it was only fair he did the same. That list started to shift my perspective to finding things to be thankful for. Eventually, my positivity became so bright that many others would be drawn to me and ask me how I remained optimistic, and I tell them, it started with a list! I challenge you, dear reader, to create a list of 5 things you are willing to share publicly. In one of my thanks posts, I will challenge you to post yours in the comments! Start working on it now! Positivity breeds positivity! Be bold, create your list, and prepare to share!
