Have you ever participated in a gratitude challenge before?
You will love this gratitude challenge because it has been designed especially for you: a mom on the go who wants to practice intentional gratitude!
According to a recent article in Forbes, gratitude has at least 7 scientifically proven benefits.
Some of these benefits are improved physical health, better mental and emotional health, better sleep, and higher levels of self esteem.
What mama couldn’t use ALL of those, right?!?
The 2020 Gratitude Challenge for Moms
It’s no secret that this year has been a tough one for nearly everyone.
With a global pandemic, racial unrest, and political negativity constantly surrounding us, our world has changed in so many unexpected ways.
BUT.
I’m convinced that there are still things we can be thankful for!
Which is why it’s time to kick off the 2020 30-Day Gratitude Challenge for Moms!
With Thanksgiving and the Christmas season right around the corner, this is a wonderful time to focus on our blessings.
What does the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge for Moms entail?
I knew you’d ask!
Everyday you’ll receive a short email with a quote about gratitude – as well as a link to share something you are grateful for that day on either Instagram or Facebook.
Everyone who joins the challenge will receive a printable pack of gratitude quotes to download, print, and put around their house to help them remember the gratitude challenge throughout the day!
The challenge is completely FREE and will start on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020. We’ll finish up on Thanksgiving Day!
To join in the fun, click on the image below!
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission if you click through or purchase at no cost to you. For more information, click here.
My experience with a gratitude challenge
In 2019 one of my favorite mentors, Terri Savelle Foy, issued a gratitude challenge.
The title of her podcast that day was called “Change Your Life in Three Minutes.” I was intrigued.
As a mom of five kids, three minutes was about all I could handle!
You can check out the video that DID change my life right here:
Terri encouraged all of her viewers to record 3-5 things they are thankful for everyday for 30 days and to STOP complaining!
I wondered if I could do it. Neither of those things were going to be easy.
The 2019 Gratitude Challenge
For me, I knew if I was going to succeed, having a support group would be hugely helpful.
So I invited all the women I know from my social media accounts to join my Facebook page, Jen Bradley|MOMS, and join me in the challenge.
Over 30 amazing moms jumped in!
Everyday we had a new thread to share 3-5 specific things that we were grateful for that day.
It was so awesome to see moms sharing their gratitude everyday!
Free Gratitude Printables
Here’s a recap of some of the awesome quotes from the 2019 gratitude challenge.
And great news: there is a printable version of these gratitude quotes available in Jen Bradley|MOMS Printables Library!
Click on the image below to get access!
You can easily download and print the quote cards and put them all over the house to remind you to practice gratitude.
Here are a few places you might consider putting them:
- your bathroom mirror
- inside kitchen cupboards
- in your pajama drawer
- on the inside of the sun visor in your car
- in your nightstand
- inside the laundry room cupboards
- in the pantry
- in your handbag or wallet
You could even use them as place cards for Thanksgiving dinner this year!
Here’s a look at some of the awesome quotes from the 2019 gratitude challenge and some things I learned along the way:
Day 1
It’s not happiness that brings us to gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us to happiness.
I have definitely been one of those people who has thought, “If only X will happen, then I will be so happy!”
Instead of waiting for things to happen that might make us happy, it is so much easier to look at our lives and FIND things that make us happy.
Day 3
Complaining about anything keeps you in the place of refusing to receive the things you’ve been asking for. -Abraham Hicks
Part of the challenge was to stop complaining. Honestly this was the part I was most unsure about.
I realized that I could definitely improve in this area, but I was drawing a big blank as to HOW I could stop complaining.
But just raising awareness about our complaining habits was a good place to start this part of the gratitude challenge.
Day 7
We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Gratitude, like any attitude we may have, is a CHOICE!
I love the story of Corrie ten Boom who was a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck. Her book, The Hiding Place, has over three thousand 5 star reviews on Amazon for a reason!
It is awe-inspiring to me that she wrote about her gratitude for the fleas she and all the women had in their beds and all over their bodies.
Because the fleas were so bad, the guards left her and her friends largely alone.
Her example of choosing to be grateful, no matter what, is one I thought of often during the gratitude challenge!
Day 8
Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms. – Alyssa Knight
Don’t you think this sounds similar to old adage: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”?
I know it’s not always easy to find the rainbows or the lemonade, but I have come to believe that it is worth it to TRY.
A Family Story
A few years ago, my husband was deployed for a year. I lived in Japan with our five kids, and he was in the desert.
As a Saturday treat, I’d promised the kids that we’d go to breakfast and the library. Every restaurant we went to on the base was either closed for an event or renovation.
The last place we tried was atop a huge hill overlooking the East China Sea. When we finally made it to the top of the hill (with a stroller and 4 hungry kids) – only to find out that the restaurant had stopped serving breakfast 10 minutes before we arrived.
I know, first world problems.
But this was such a blow to all of us that all six of us cried as we walked back down the hill, bellies hungry and frustration in full swing.
We piled back in to our little Japanese van feeling sorry for ourselves.
On the way to the library, I had the idea that we should all share something we felt thankful for.
I’m telling you, we saw and felt our own little miracle. By the time we made it to the library, we were all laughing and our hearts were happier.
Day 10
Complaining is finding faults. Wisdom is finding solutions. – Ajahn Brahm
So often we tell our kids to focus on finding on a solution rather than dwelling on the problem.
So often I need to take my own advice!
At this point, our gratitude challenge was about halfway over, and I was beginning to realize something: the more focused I was on finding things to be thankful for, the less I had a tendency to complain.
I’m beginning to believe that there is a gratitude/complaining continuum of sorts: the more gratitude I express, the less I complain; the more complaints I offer, the less gratitude I feel.
What do you think?
Day 11
The expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing and healing nature. -Robert D. Hales
On this day, the three specific things I was thankful for were:
- My kids were beginning to feel better after battling colds for weeks.
- My delightful paleo chili recipe.
- The opportunity to serve as a family during a community service day on Saturday.
Day 12
Life is full of give and take. Give thanks and take nothing for granted.
This was one of the favorite quotes of the whole challenge!
I love the unexpected twist and the reminder that we can live a life always looking out for things to be thankful for.
Many of the moms participating mentioned that they were grateful for things I’ve never considered before.
One specifically wrote about how thankful she is for her car that is a little climate-controlled bubble wherever she goes! Too often I take my minivan for granted! (I NEVER in a million years thought I’d say that!)
Day 14
No beauty shines brighter than that of a grateful heart.
Take a minute and think about the most grateful person you know. Isn’t she a beauty?
Some of the most beautiful women I know are ones that will never grace the cover of a newsstand magazine.
They are women who are kind, thoughtful, and courageous. They are women who exercise faith and express their thanks.
Day 15
The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for. – Zig Ziglar
To find out more about how gratitude involves so much more than just saying thank you, read this post here!
The ever-wise Zig Ziglar had it right as he mentioned that we must first recognize what we have to be thankful for.
Expression can’t come until after the recognition!
Day 16
Gratitude requires awareness and effort – not only to feel it – but to express it. -Bonnie Parkin
When I tuck my kids in bed every night, I try to say something positive about the day. During this gratitude challenge, I tried to turn that into thanking them for something that they did.
I remember on this day in particular how thankful I felt for my oldest son. I’d completely forgotten that my littlest son had to read a book for his book club and I was overwhelmed with dinner, social commitments, and birthday prep for my oldest son the next day. So I asked him if he’d read I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor to his little bro as fast as possible, which he did without complaint. I tried to tell him how much I appreciated his willingness to bail me out that night!
Day 20
The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become. -Robert Holden
We’ve probably all heard about the need to present now more than ever.
I’m not sure about you, but this isn’t normal for me!
This was the second to last day in our challenge and I realized that YES, I had become more present with my family as I’d tried to practice gratitude more intentionally.
As I was looking for things to be thankful for, I’d become more aware of what was happening around me.
And as I became more aware, I became more present. It was an awesome cycle!
Final thoughts on the gratitude challenge for moms:
We know that it takes 21 days to form a habit, and I hope that the mamas who took the 2019 gratitude challenge will continue to find specific things to be thankful everyday.
And I sure hope you’ll join us for the 2020 30-day Gratitude Challenge for Moms too!
Click on the image below to join in!
I can’t wait for you to get a little gratitude reminder in your inbox everyday, and to hear/read your thoughts throughout the challenge!
And don’t forget – if you would like a printable version of these quotes, click on the image below to get the password for the FREE printables library!
Related articles about Thanksgiving:
–9 Awesome Thanksgiving Day Activities for Kids and Toddlers
–How to Teach Gratitude to Your Kids
I hope you’ll join us for the 2020 Gratitude Challenge for Moms!
2 thoughts on “Try the Perfect 30-Day Gratitude Challenge for Moms”
This seems like a really good idea. We really should have more gratitude in our lives.
Thank you, Maria! I certainly agree with you!