Thursday, August 28, 2014

THE GRATITUDE CHALLENGE….


Hey guys, so we have all read and heard about the #ALSICEBUCKETCHALLENGE and how it has been incredible successful in raising a lot of money for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis cause (if you don’t understand what is involved check here). So I guess someone decided to start a gratitude challenge.

The rules are that for 7 days that you state 3 things you are grateful for and also nominate people on the first day you are challenged by someone else. When I first saw someone else on my facebook thread take the challenge, the first thing I thought was ‘Oh God!! People have started again. They are going to bastardize the whole challenge stuff’.


But I had to have a rethink when a friend and University classmate nominated me…Thanks a lot Hadrat for the nomination. My first thought was ‘I am not taking this challenge’. Why? First of all is the fact that every day I already tell God what I am grateful for. I operate on a thank God I am seeing this day or I have seen this day mode. A thank God for even the ability to urinate without taking drugs kind of vibe. And another reason why I was hesitating to take up the challenge was that I cannot write on my facebook wall every day. Apart from the notifications of a post on my blog and the instagram pictures I post you would rarely see me post anything (I don’t know why I am not really a facebook person). I use my facebook page to catch up with what is going on around the world and in the lives of my friends. I was later told that I can state it once (it was modified for me) which works for me.

Then I thought to myself, what exactly is the aim of this challenge. I don’t know who started it or what the person’s aim was but here are the reasons why I am going to take up the challenge.

A lot of people tend to look at the negatives in their lives and forget the positives. Thinking about three things to be grateful for can lead you to remember more than three things and you feel inspired to be better and stop dwelling on all the negativities in your life. Sometimes people need a fun way to remind them of all the good things in their lives, a whole load of talking might not be able to achieve what a 5 minutes fun stuff can do.

It got me thinking of how I can tweak the challenge and make it achieve more. The ice bucket challenge also involves donating at least 10 USD to the ALS charity if you take the challenge and 100 USD if you don’t douse yourself with ice water.

With that said or thought about I decided to tweak the #gratitudechallenge to the #gratitudeandgivingchallenge. Here are the former rules:

You accept the challenge within 24 hours

You have to write/say 3 things you are grateful for (I think you can upload videos too) for 7 days on a social media.

You are to nominate 3 people after you accept the challenge.

I decided to make it fun and do stuff that everyone can easily do. My rules are:

When nominated you have 24 hours to accept the challenge.

You have to write or say 3 things you are grateful for on any social media platform just once.

You are to take a picture of a simple pleasure. A simple pleasure is something that makes (or made) you smile in a day preferably non humans (because I am sure a lot of people would list the humans as what they are grateful for). For example a cup of coffee, a bottle of your favorite soda or drink, a scoopful of ice cream, a butterfly that just perched on a window, something at your work desk, a game…You get the drift. It is something that should be inexpensive. It is not an opportunity to show off cars, watches, shoes and all the things that people like showing off nowadays.

You have to give out at least 5 USD (convert it to your local currency) within 7 days of accepting the challenge to a less privileged person or a cause or a charity organization. And it would be nice to state how you would give it out (not to show off but to inspire people to think outside the box). You might not state it though.

You nominate three people (within your circle) to take up the challenge.

If you don’t accept the challenge you are required to donate at least 20 USD to a charity organization of your choice. I plan on talking this ‘divafied’ challenge in two ways. I plan on nominating people on facebook and in the blogville world (blog world). I don’t expect people to comply but I know that it would be good for my soul and the souls that decide to take up the new challenge.

So here are the three things I am grateful for:

I am grateful for the gift of writing. It has been amazing how God has used my love of writing to help not only me but others. I might not be the best of the best but I absolutely love writing on this blog. It has helped me when I was sad, angry and depressed. I always get a buzz when I see comments and get mails on how I have inspired someone. I have not made a dime from blogging but I have been blessed beyond measures. So in a way I am grateful for the Life God has given me.

I am grateful for my family. My family is not the richest or most influential but they are mine. I am grateful for how God has helped us through all our challenges and how he is still working out things in their lives. We might fight and might not be 100% close but when push comes to shove we always have each other’s back. I bless the name of the Lord for our mental and physical health and all that we are.

I am grateful for my friends. I don’t have a lot of friends but the friends I have I am soooo grateful for. I don’t know how God allowed me to meet most of them but I know I have a lot of cool friends. I am happy with the all that I have because I know that even though that all of them might not have my back all the time at least 80% do and that is a whole lot more than some other people can say. And I hope that I can always, always have their backs too.

So there you have it folks, 3 things I am grateful for. It is nomination time…..*clappingmyhands*. This is the blogging version so I am going to nominate 3 bloggers that I love (I wish it could be more), they are:

Ernie of everydaywithtibs.blogspot.com
Mobolaji of mylifeasmoby.blogspot.com
Deborah Poh of whatdoffydoes.com

I do hope these bloggers take up the challenge and start a chain reaction of goodness. I would upload a picture of my simple pleasure tomorrow on my instagram page so be sure to follow me on instagram (my id is princesspetitediva).

I intend donating at least 1 USD to a beggar every day for 5 days and If I am not able to see one every day, I would drop the money in the welfare box that is placed in my church to help less privileged church members.

I know, I know, some people are going to say this is totally lame (heck they said it for the ice bucket challenge) but you know what, I DON’T CARE. Is it for a good cause? Does it inspire people? Would it make a difference in this world that seems to going out of control? Does it remind me of how blessed I am? Does it remind me of the ultimate reason why we are on these planet? I think the answer is YES then it doesn’t really matter what people think.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Hey! Don’t go starting the challenge on your own. The fun is when people nominate you (I think)…..

Thanks for stopping by and remember to make a change in the world.

Luv ya,
Petite Diva.

8 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great challenge. It's always nice to remember what you are grateful for. Good luck.

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  2. Awwww...and I ws nominated for something so cool...mehn I can't say how much love I feel right now. Thank you so much. So I'm going to accept it, post it on my blog, nominte three bloggers, give alms and do everything I have to. Thnk you so much for the nomination...let the gratitude challenge begin...yipeee

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    1. You are welcome. I am waiting for your post...

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  3. Yay!!!...Awww mamacita...thanks alot for this...I will do a post right away...#abracadabra...

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  4. Beautifully written... I've been in a very bad mood lately so I don't feel too good to be very grateful at the moment. But I'm sure it will improve soon
    xx
    www.JuneWantsItAll.com

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    1. I hope you feel better soon. I had one of such days yesterday and i am grateful that it has passed.

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  5. Sorry I didn't get to this post earlier dear, wow this is a wonderful challenge! I am late but I want to accept! I find it hard to keep up with these blogger challenges usually but I will try to do this one-- being grateful for what you have and acknowledging how you have been blessed is so important! We too often look to others and covet what they have and forget what amazing things we have been given. I love your three things: friends, family, and writing are all things I too am grateful for! Thanks for always writing thought-provoking posts that make me re-examine my own opinions-- I even mention your posts to people I meet up with in Vancouver so you definitely have an impact on others far, far away!

    Happy Sunday!

    xx Debbie

    www.whatdoffydoes.com

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  6. Awwww, thanks a lot. I do hope you take up the challenge. I can't wait to view your post on it.

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