#12DaysofGratitude

@wasseabinwhs

1. Define GRATITUDE in a WORD doc
2. Look up definitions and examples of/for GRATITUDE online
3. Add to your definition
4. Share at your tables
5. Write a tweet or a comment on the Gratitude blog post
   1. Include #12DaysofGratitude and @wawhsroom121 in your Tweet

Here are the prompts for each of the 12 days:

Day 1: Be Thankful.  Thankful for waking up, getting out of bed and starting a new day….just being able to breathe.  What are you thankful for about WHS?

Day 2: Be happy.   Be happy with who you are.   Look in the mirror and your reflection.  Make sure you are the best YOU. Like that person in the mirror….no, LOVE that person in the mirror.  You are unique, put on this earth for a purpose. Be happy with you. What makes you happy today?

Day 3: Be generous to someone.   Generosity isn’t giving away money.  It can be something very simple as helping someone solve a problem, listening to a friend vent, supporting someone in need with a kind word. What act of generosity have you done recently or how will you show generosity to someone today?

Day 4:  Today is the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Go to #HumanRightsDay or #Standup4HumanRights and read some tweets. Find one that represents how you feel about this day and retweet it (if you are signed in) with a comment. Make sure to add appropriate hashtags and our classroom account @wawhsroom121 OR copy the tweet and add it to the comments below with an explanation of why you choose it.

Day 5: Reflect often. It is important to reflect on how gratitude actually appears in your life. Ask Yourself “What have I received from others?”

Day 6:  Reflect often. It is important to reflect on how gratitude actually appears in your life. Ask Yourself  “What have I given to others?”

Day 7: Use your senses.  Through our senses—the ability to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear—we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human and of what an incredible miracle it is to be alive. What have you noticed recently about the world around you that you are grateful for?

Day 8: Focus on What You Have Rather Than What You Don’t Have. There is always going to be someone out there who is smarter, better looking, has more money, more successful, but if you focus on the negatives of what you don’t have, you are missing the true celebration of the abundance that you DO have.  What is one abundance in your life today?

Day 9: Celebrate good health.  What is good health? A day where you have slept well, are pain-free and have lots of energy.  Treat your body well; it’s the only one you have. Meditate for five minutes, relax and take deep breathes and focus your energies on the positives in your life. What about your health are you grateful for today?

Day 10:  Give Love.  If you are full of gratitude you are also full of love.  Love is free to give, so give out some love today. Hug a friend, call or text someone you know is lonely or depressed.  Laugh with your classmates. How will you remember to give love today?

Day 11: Use reminders. To help you sustain the habit of gratitude use a variety of strategies like
Signage
We put things on our refrigerators as reminders – that dental appointment, the date and time of Auntie’s arrival, etc. We also need reminders about gratitude. Make a few signs with just the word “Gratitude” on them; print them out and place them around your room and your school locker with what you’re grateful for.

Put a Trinket in Your Pocket
Lots of people carry “worry stones.” These are smooth, indented stones that one can hold and rub a thumb on when they are worried. Why not have a gratitude stone? You can reach in your pocket several times a day, and there it is, reminding you to make a statement of gratitude.

Pay it Forward
As you remind yourself of the things for which you are grateful, ask yourself if there is something you can do for someone else as an outward expression of the good you have in your life. It doesn’t matter if it is something as small as opening the door for an elder or letting someone cut in front of you in a line-up.

Express Gratitude to Others
Each day, think of someone to whom you can and should say thank you. It may be a random call to your grandmother or text a family member that has moved away. Tell people that you appreciate them – you will have made their day.

Keep a Journal
Throughout your day, as you think of things you are grateful for, jot them down. At the end of your day, read through that list.  

What strategy will you work on now to help you learn to be grateful?

Day 12: Be at peace.    This is your reward for practicing 11 days of gratitude! Gratitude revives your brain, it rewires you to celebrate everything you have in your life and will give you emotional happiness.  Let go of all your “stuff”, get out of your own way and make a change for 2019 by focusing on gratitude. What do you wish for in 2019?

See the #12DaysofGratitude for inspiration.