Day One: Cleaning up the Earth 

For my first day of the gratitude challenge I chose to clean up any trash that I see in the halls at school, at my home, or outside. In just a minute I picked up ten pieces of trash at school. This was really upsetting and made me realize how lazy people can be about throwing their garbage away, and even separating their trash from their recyclables. Cleaning up my own trash at home was an eye-opener and I am much more aware of my own faults, which makes me want to make a difference in my own actions.  

Day Two: Paying it forward 

On day two of the challenge, I ate at Dunkin Donuts and thought it would be a great opportunity to pay it forward for the car behind me. This was the first time I had done this, and I honestly was hesitant because I didn’t know how much I would be paying, but I did anyway because that is something I would have wanted someone else to do to me. It felt good afterwards and seeing the car behind me smile when they found out I paid for them was really rewarding and makes me want to do it again! 

Day Three: Say thank you 

On day three, I made sure to say “thank you” for everything someone did for me. Whether that was holding the door, buying me food, or letting me borrow a pencil, I said “thank you” for everything. It made me realize how some people forget these little things, because when I let someone borrow my pencil, they didn’t say “thank you!” It hurt to know I was going out of my way to do something for them and they didn’t thank me for what I did, and I wouldn’t want to make someone else feel that way. A simple “thank you” can go a long way. 

Day Four: Giving Compliments 

On day four, I made sure to compliment everyone I talked to that day. This was important to me because I was able to notice how one simple compliment could change someone’s day. Even complimenting someone on something small like their shoes, or the bracelet they were wearing made a difference in their day and it was important to me that I was turning someone’s day even if I don’t know who they are.  

Day Five: Donating 

On my last day of my gratitude challenge, my family and I went through all of our belongings and decided what things we would want to keep and what things we want to donate. We made many trash bags full of clothes, old toys, stuffed animals, and more and packed our cars with the bags to take to Goodwill. It felt really special knowing that we were doing something good and providing our belongings that we are fortunate to have that some people aren’t able to have. Donating is something easy that makes a big difference to those who aren’t as fortunate, and it makes a great impact on yourself knowing that you are helping others!  

The gratitude challenge helped me better myself as a person, as it allowed me to reach out of my comfort zone and participate in things that will boost someone’s attitude or even turn their day from negative to positive.