Have you ever been on one of those family road trips where you try to spot things like letters, numbers, words, colors, etc?
It’s one of the many games that my family and I have played in our travels to pass the time in a fun and entertaining way.
This week I had an idea on how to play a game with gratitude, or gamify gratitude.
Here’s the idea…
We live in a world where we are being constantly inundated with advertisements – television commercials, online ads, billboards, etc.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, of course. There are great products and services out there, and it can be helpful to be made aware of them.
However, what can also happen is that we develop a sense that our life is not complete – that we are not enough or we don’t have enough – without them. In fact, what it can lead to is a sense that we just can’t be happy unless we have them. What’s more, if the ads are doing their job properly, we can feel a real sense of urgency…like we just gotta have it…now!
The very last thing these advertisers want you to feel is a sense of gratitude for what you already have.
Well, I figure, since there are so many ads coming at us, why not leverage that energy to remind us of what we currently have to be grateful for?
For example, you’re watching TV and you see an ad for the latest iPhone. Let that trigger you to be grateful for the phone that you already have! Your gratitude could sound something like this…
“Thank you that I live in a day and age where I can talk to my friend on the other side of the country in real time. Thank you that I can use the phone I already have to do that!”
You see, you weren’t even thinking about your phone, but now, thanks to Apple’s commercial, you’re feeling really grateful for the one you now own!
Or, suppose you’re driving down the expressway and you see a billboard for a product that promises to regrow your hair (guys), allowing you to go out in public without feeling like you should be wearing a bag over that bald head of yours! Your gratitude statement might go something like this…
“Thank you that I am the difference, not my hair, and that the really important people in my life love me for who I am!”
Thanks to that billboard, you’ve been reminded of what an amazing person you are, and your gratitude brings your energy up to a whole new level. “Thanks Restore! You’ve restored my confidence in myself!”
Thanks to one commercial break while watching TV this week I was able to give thanks for my glasses, my teeth and my high-speed internet connection!
Try it yourself this week. It will take some creativity, but I think you will find it to be a fun and uplifting game.
If you want to take it to the next level, journal about it at the end of the day. You will be amazed!
In gratitude,