At the start of 2016, my friend Amber began posting on social media about her 365 Grateful Project. I was so inspired that I began my own on February 1st of that year.

The concept is simple: Each day I’d post to Facebook and Instagram a photo of something I was grateful for. Some days this accompanies a deep thought, such as how I’m grateful to have a supportive partner or acknowledging how far I’ve come in my journey of personal growth. Other days, I’m grateful for a fresh cantaloupe or a new pen.

At the end of my project, I was relieved to not have to post each day.  However, after a couple of months, I began to miss the project.

While I do have my own gratitude practice of writing a list each evening of what I was grateful for during the day, I found the social media project motivated me in a different way.  Instead of reflecting on the day each evening, I am more aware during the day as I take photos of the things I enjoy. 

The other positive effect of my project is how it influenced others. I have two friends who are doing their own 365 Grateful projects on Facebook for 2017, as a direct result of witnessing mine in 2016.

I’ve also received private messages from Facebook friends complimenting my gratitude practice and my generally positive outlook.

Instead of waiting until the new calendar year to do another Gratitude Project, I figured my birthday is a perfect time to start.

I look forward to documenting the final year of my 30s with photos of the people and things that bring me joy. You can follow my Gratitude Project here, and I hope you feel inspired to start your own!

Do you have a gratitude practice? Why or why not, and how do you think it affects your life?