Never heard of him?

Well, neither had I until I started wondering who invented turn signals.

Yes. TURN SIGNALS. 🤦🏿‍♂️

Let me explain.

My Beef With Percy Douglas-Hamilton

Years ago, I was going through a pretty difficult financial season.

My car needed repairs I couldn’t afford. And one of the things that wasn’t working was my turn signals.

While I couldn’t afford to fix my car, I also couldn’t afford a ticket for failing to use my turn signals.

See the problem?

So one day, I was driving along, and a police car ended up behind me.

And instead of turning where I actually wanted to turn, I just kept driving straight.

And driving.

And driving.

Because I didn’t want to risk getting pulled over for failing to use a turn signal that DIDN’T WORK. And somehow, in the middle of all that frustration, I found myself thinking…

WHY DID SOMEBODY HAVE TO INVENT TURN SIGNALS ANYWAY?!

Yep.

That’s where my mind went. 😂

Eventually, I traced my frustration all the way back to Percy Douglas-Hamilton, a man who patented an early vehicle turn-signaling device more than a century ago.

Now, just imagine this guy trying to make driving safer.

And here I was, decades later, blaming him because my car was broken and I couldn’t afford to fix it.

Ridiculous? Maybe. But that’s what happened.

And here’s why I’m no longer embarrassed to tell that story.

From a Chain of Blame to a Chain of Gratitude

I had somehow created an entire chain of things to blame for my frustration.

My car was broken. I couldn’t afford the repairs. I couldn’t afford a ticket. I had to drive straight longer than I wanted to. 😫

And somehow, this was Percy’s fault.

Then one day, in The Miracle Morning Group, probably eight years after my blame chain, I saw someone share how sometimes they’re grateful for something that made something else they’re grateful for possible.

And I thought wow, if I could trace something I was frustrated about backward through all the people, inventions, circumstances, and events connected to it…

Why couldn’t I do the same thing with something I was GRATEFUL for?

If something going wrong had so many things connected to it, wouldn’t the same be true for something going RIGHT?

That simple realization eventually became one of my favorite gratitude practices.

I call it The Gratitude Chain. 🔗

How The Gratitude Chain Works

The idea is pretty simple.

Start with ONE thing you’re grateful for.

Then think about what made that thing possible. Then what made THAT possible. And what made THAT possible.

Keep following the chain.

For example, let’s say you’re grateful for the food you ate today.

Simple enough.

But what made that meal possible?

Someone had to grow or raise the food. Someone had to transport it. Someone had to sell it. Someone prepared it.

And before any of that, there were seeds, soil, water, sunshine, and an enormous number of other contributions that made the whole thing possible.

And that’s just the food itself.

What about everything that made it possible for YOU to have that food?

The money to purchase it. The people who helped you earn that money. The transportation that got the food to you. The people who taught you how to prepare it.

One meal.

A ridiculous number of reasons to be grateful. And potentially a ridiculous number of PEOPLE to appreciate.

See what I mean?

There Are More Connections Than We Notice

One thing I love about this practice is that it doesn’t require you to have more good things happen.

It helps you discover more of the good that’s connected to things you ALREADY appreciate.

And sometimes, the chain leads to people you’d never think to thank.

People whose names you don’t know. People who lived before you were born. People who played some tiny part in making your everyday life possible.

Just like I managed to trace my frustration back to a man from the early 1900s.

Except now, instead of looking for more people to blame, I’m intentionally looking for more people and things to appreciate.

I wasn’t grateful FOR my broken turn signals.

I wasn’t grateful FOR not having enough money to fix my car.

Those were genuinely frustrating circumstances.

But I could learn something useful from the way my mind responded to them.

And today I can look back and be grateful for the experience. Just because I wasn’t then doesn’t mean I can’t be now.

That’s Practical Gratitude.

Let’s Practice The Gratitude Chain

Here’s something you can try today.

1. START WITH ONE THING.

Think of something you’re genuinely grateful for.

A person. A meal. An opportunity. Your home. Your car. A favorite memory.

Anything.

2. ASK WHAT MADE IT POSSIBLE.

What people, decisions, inventions, circumstances, or events contributed to that good thing?

3. FOLLOW THE CHAIN.

Choose one of those connections and ask what made THAT possible.

Then follow the next connection.

And the next.

Three “chain links” is enough, but you can keep going as long as you’d like.

You may be surprised by how many reasons to be grateful are connected to just ONE thing.

One More Thing

Somewhere, right now, someone may be grateful for something that YOU helped make possible.

Maybe it was something you did intentionally. Maybe it was something you barely remember. Maybe they’ll never even know your name.

But you were part of the chain.

Isn’t that interesting!?!?

This week, I’d love for you to try something.

Find one thing you’re grateful for.

Follow its chain.

And if one of those links leads to someone you can actually thank, go ahead and thank them.

You might make their Thursday a little better.

Until next Thursday…

Stay grateful.

🙌🏿 Conrad

P.S. Ever had one of those moments when you realized you were blaming someone or something that really wasn’t responsible for your frustration? Hit reply and tell me. I can’t be the ONLY person who’s done something this ridiculous. 😂

Last week I celebrated three consecutive weeks of on-time Thank You Thursdays.

I even called myself a model of consistency.

Well… that aged well. 😂

I was on a cruise this past week. And somewhere along the way, Thursday apparently sailed right past me 🥁… get it… cruise… sailed…

Anywho, here we are.

Thank You Fridays???

Just joking, we’ll stick with Thank You Thursdays.

And ironically, the practice we’re covering this week is probably the perfect one for a situation like this.

It’s called Gratitude Everywhen. ♾️

Yes, EVERYWHEN.

And yes, I know it sounds like a made-up word.

To that I say, aren’t all words made up? 👀

What Is Gratitude Everywhen?

Last week, I introduced you to The Gratitude Ladder.

The basic idea was that sometimes you can find more reasons to be grateful by changing your POSITION.

Changing your position changes your perspective.

Gratitude Everywhen is similar.

Except instead of changing WHERE you’re looking from, you change WHEN you’re looking.

A lot of gratitude exercises focus on one question: What are you grateful for RIGHT NOW?

And that’s a great question.

But why limit ourselves to right now? What about all the good things that have ALREADY happened? And all the good things that MIGHT happen?

That’s the idea behind Gratitude Everywhen.

Three directions.

What WAS good?

What IS good?

What MIGHT be good?

Past. Present. Future.

And potentially an almost infinite number of reasons to be grateful.

One Cruise, Three Directions

Since I was on a cruise this past week, let’s use that.

Jennifer and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on this trip.

SIXTEEN YEARS 🥹 of experiences, memories, and reasons to be grateful.

Not because every moment of those sixteen years was perfect.

But because there’s a whole lot of GOOD in our past that I can still appreciate today.

That’s PAST gratitude.

And then there was a conversation Jennifer and I had about our teenage kids who were on the trip with us. It was a family vacation we used as a way to celebrate our anniversary too.

And we were talking about how this particular season of life is getting shorter.

Not that we’re going to stop being parents. 😂

But the years of having teenage kids, with all that comes with this stage of life, aren’t going to last forever.

And we were intentionally trying to appreciate this season WHILE WE’RE STILL IN IT.

Because one day, what we’re experiencing right now will be something we look back on.

And hopefully we’ll be grateful for it then.

But why wait until THEN to appreciate it?

That’s PRESENT gratitude.

And then there were the people we met.

We met some duck farmers from South Carolina who were also Gamecocks fans. 💪🏿

And a fellow Air Force veteran.

Actually, meeting interesting people is usually one of my favorite parts of cruising.

And the sunrises…

You leave home not knowing who you’re going to meet.

And you come back having crossed paths with people you may have never met otherwise.

Which makes me wonder about all the people I HAVEN’T met yet.

The conversations I haven’t had.

The experiences I haven’t experienced.

The memories I haven’t made.

I don’t know what those will be.

But I can appreciate the POSSIBILITY of good things still ahead.

That’s FUTURE gratitude.

And here’s what I find so interesting about all of this.

Sixteen years ago, Jennifer and I hadn’t experienced the memories we’re celebrating today.

One day, this season with our kids will be part of our past too.

And the people we met on this cruise were complete strangers to us before this week.

The good doesn’t stop being good just because it becomes a memory.

And some of the good we’ll eventually be grateful for hasn’t even happened yet.

Past. Present. Future.

Three directions.

And potentially an almost infinite number of reasons to be grateful.

But What If Right Now Isn’t Good?

Now, I realize a cruise, a wedding anniversary, and family vacation are ridiculously easy examples.

It’s not difficult to find reasons to be grateful while you’re enjoying a vacation and celebrating sixteen years of marriage.

But what about when your circumstances are anything BUT enjoyable?

What about when you’re having a difficult week?

Or month?

Or year?

This is where I think Gratitude Everywhen becomes especially useful.

Because maybe RIGHT NOW isn’t a particularly enjoyable time in your life.

Maybe things genuinely suck.

And I am absolutely NOT suggesting you pretend otherwise.

But you can look backward.

Was there something good yesterday? Last year? Ten years ago?

A relationship. An experience. A conversation. Something someone did for you. Something you got to do for someone else.

The fact that something good is over doesn’t mean it was never good.

And then you can look forward.

Is there something you have reason to look forward to?

Something you’re working toward?

Something that might happen?

A possibility you can genuinely appreciate, even though it’s not guaranteed?

You don’t have to pretend the future is certain.

And you don’t have to pretend the present isn’t difficult.

You can appreciate what was good without wishing you were still there.

You can appreciate what is good without pretending everything is good.

And you can appreciate the possibility of what’s ahead without knowing exactly how things will turn out.

Grateful IN, not necessarily FOR.

That’s Practical Gratitude.

And Gratitude Everywhen is one way to practice it.

Let’s Practice Gratitude Everywhen

Here’s something you can do in just a minute or two.

Think about three things.

1. PAST — What WAS good?

Think of one experience, person, moment, or circumstance from your past that you can still appreciate.

It doesn’t have to be recent.

It doesn’t even have to be something you can experience again.

Just something you’re grateful you got to experience at all.

2. PRESENT — What IS good?

Look at your life right now.

What’s one thing you can genuinely appreciate?

Not because everything is perfect.

Not because all your problems are solved.

Just because this particular thing is good.

Or true. Or working.

3. FUTURE — What MIGHT be good?

What’s something you’re looking forward to?

Something you hope to experience?

Maybe something you’re working toward.

Or even a possibility that didn’t exist in your life before.

You don’t have to know for certain that it will happen to appreciate that it might.

That’s it.

Three different directions.

Three opportunities to notice something worth appreciating.

And you can revisit them whenever you want.

One More Thing

Here’s something else I love about this practice.

You don’t even have to find three DIFFERENT things to appreciate.

You can practice Gratitude Everywhen with the SAME thing.

Think about someone you love.

You can appreciate memories you’ve already made with them.

You can appreciate whatever is good about having them in your life today.

And you can appreciate the possibility of making more memories together.

One person.

Three directions.

Potentially hundreds of reasons to be grateful.

And THAT is why I believe learning to practice gratitude can help us enjoy the experience of living life more.

Not by making every experience enjoyable.

But by helping us stop overlooking so much of what already was, still is, and might someday be.

Okay. Your turn.

Which direction is easiest for you to find gratitude in right now?

The past? The present? Or the future?

Hit reply and tell me. I’m genuinely curious.

Next Thursday, we’ll explore The Gratitude Chain.

Assuming I remember what day Thursday is. 😂

Until then…

Stay grateful.

🙌🏿 Conrad

That’s three consecutive weeks of Thank You Thursdays.

I’m practically a model of consistency at this point. 👀

Last week, I introduced you to the eight Grateful On Purpose creative gratitude practices. And I promised we’d actually start DOING them this week.

So here we are.

We’re starting with The Gratitude Ladder. 🪜

And I have two stories to tell you.

One happened years ago at IHOP. The other happened just a few days ago on Facebook.

Both illustrate something I’ve been living and teaching for years.

Sometimes You Can’t See What’s Right in Front of You

Years ago, I was at IHOP with one of my sons.

While we were waiting for our food, a car pulled up I knew he’d think was cool and be excited to see.

So I said, “Look at that car!”

He’s looking, but from where he’s sitting he doesn’t see anything that was worth my shouting 🤣.

So he’s looking at me like… 👀

It took me a few seconds to realize, oh wait he can’t see what I’m seeing.

So I had him stand in the chair, and when he saw the car, his face lit up like this…

Now of course, the car didn’t change. It was there the entire time.

But he couldn’t appreciate something he couldn’t see.

And he couldn’t see it from where he was sitting.

But once he changed his POSITION, he changed his PERSPECTIVE.

That’s one of the early experiences that helped shape what I now call The Gratitude Ladder.

Because sometimes we miss things worth appreciating, not because they aren’t there, but because of the position we’re in.

Let’s Climb The Gratitude Ladder

There are three levels.

Level 1: ME

This is where most gratitude practices start.

What am I grateful for?

What’s good in MY life?

What happened to ME today that I can appreciate?

Nothing wrong with that.

Actually, I think it’s a great place to start. But there’s no need to stop there.

Level 2: PEOPLE I KNOW

Now we step up the ladder.

Instead of only asking what I’M grateful for, I start thinking about people I know.

What’s good in THEIR lives?

What might my wife, kids, friends, neighbors, coworkers, or somebody else I know be grateful for today?

And can I appreciate that something good is happening for them?

Even when it has absolutely nothing to do with me?

Level 3: PEOPLE I DON’T KNOW

Now we climb a little higher.

What about people I’ve never met?

Somebody somewhere is:

• Starting a new season with someone they love

• Ending a season with someone who hurt them

• Getting a breakthrough they’ve been hoping for

• Celebrating their child finally using the potty

• Receiving some really good news

And on and on and on.

Most of them I don’t know. And will NEVER know.

But I can still appreciate the fact that things are happening that people appreciate, even when I don’t know them.

There are potentially literally MILLIONS of reasons for gratitude happening every day that have absolutely nothing to do with us.

And we’re allowed to appreciate those things too.

That’s the Gratitude Ladder.

Ironically, I experienced something THIS WEEK that illustrates the gratitude ladder very well.

The Gratitude Ladder: Level Two in Real Life

A few days ago, a family friend who recently read an early copy of my upcoming book, Smile When You Poop, shared something on Facebook.

She’s going through some genuinely uncomfortable things right now.

But she described how she’s learning to notice what’s good without pretending the difficult things aren’t difficult.

One of the main points of the book is being Grateful IN something, even if you’re not grateful FOR it.

And she’s putting it into practice.

On a day that included anxiety, discomfort, and other frustrations, she was also able to identify more than 20 things that went right.

Her daughter’s progress with potty training. A delicious breakfast her husband made. Time with family. Her niece’s laughter that led to everyone laughing. Good food. Chocolate chip cookies. A movie.

A bunch of ordinary things that can be really easy to overlook.

And as I read her post, I found myself crying 🥹 smiling.

Partly because something I wrote was helping someone else. Of COURSE I’m grateful for that.

But also because of what was happening in HER life. All these things that I didn’t personally experience.

And yet…

I was grateful that SHE had those things to be grateful for.

That’s Level 2!

And it happened the same week I was preparing to tell you about Level 2.

I couldn’t have planned that better if I’d tried. 😂

Ready to Practice Gratitude using The Gratitude Ladder?

You can do this in about two minutes.

Level 1: Think of one thing happening in your own life that you’re grateful for.

Level 2: Think of somebody you know. What’s something good happening in THEIR life that you can appreciate?

Level 3: Think beyond the people you know. What’s something good happening somewhere in the world, in the life of somebody you’ve never met, that you can be grateful is happening?

That’s it.

Three levels. Three perspectives. Potentially three completely different reasons for gratitude.

No need to climb all three levels every time.

Some days Level 1 is plenty.

Other days, when it’s difficult to find much to appreciate in your own circumstances, stepping up the ladder might help you notice something you wouldn’t have otherwise.

It doesn’t mean your problems disappeared.

It doesn’t mean everything is good.

It just means there’s more good happening than what you can see from your current position.

And sometimes that’s worth remembering.

Do you mind doing something for me?

Hit reply (or I forgot you can comment on the post version too!) and tell me one good thing happening in the life of somebody OTHER than you.

Somebody you know. Or somebody you don’t.

Something you can genuinely appreciate, even though it isn’t happening to you.

I want to hear about it. And if you’re okay with me sharing it with others, maybe your reason for gratitude will become somebody else’s reason too.

Next Thursday, we’ll explore Gratitude Everywhen. Yes, Everywhen is a real word no matter how many times Google and Grammarly try to get me to correct it.

Until then…

Stay grateful.

🙌🏿 Conrad

In week two. 😩

This feels on brand. 🤦🏿‍♂️

Last week I told you exactly what I was going to do this week:

• give you an overview of the Grateful On Purpose practices

• explain why they matter

• tell you what they are

• and, most importantly, show you how they can help you enjoy the experience of living life more

So here we are.

Barely. 😂

First, what does “Grateful On Purpose” even mean?

I think “be grateful” is good great advice.

It’s also a little vague.

And a legit response is… HOW?

What do I actually DO when I want to be more grateful?

Especially when I don’t feel grateful, when something sucks, or when there are completely legitimate things happening in my life that I am absolutely NOT grateful for.

I believe gratitude doesn’t require pretending.

What’s good is still good. What sucks still sucks. Neither cancels the other.

And sometimes practicing gratitude is simply learning how to notice more of the whole truth.

That’s what I mean when I talk about Practical Gratitude.

And Grateful On Purpose is basically my collection of ways to actually practice it.

Eight of them, specifically.

At least for now. 👀

The 8 Grateful On Purpose Practices

1. The Gratitude Ladder

Change your position to change your perspective.

Sometimes when you step up the ladder 🪜, you can see something you can’t see from your current level.

On level one, you see what you’re grateful for. Level two, you see what people you know might be grateful for. Level three, you see what people you don’t know might be grateful for.

2. Gratitude Everywhen ♾️

Instead of only asking what you’re grateful for RIGHT NOW, look backward, look around, and look forward.

What WAS good?

What IS good?

What might be good someday?

Life can be a source of infinite gratitude if we let it be.

3. The Gratitude Chain

Take one thing you appreciate and trace it backward.

Who helped make it possible?

What had to happen?

What work, people, inventions, decisions, accidents, circumstances, sacrifices, etc. are connected to this one thing you usually experience without thinking about any of that?

It can get ridiculous pretty quickly.

Which leads nicely into…

4. One Word Gratitude

Pick one word.

That’s it.

Then see how many reasons that ONE word gives you to be grateful.

I sometimes call this the simplest, most habit-forming gratitude practice. There’s a lot more hiding inside a single word than you might think.

5. Get-To Gratitude

“I have to…”

becomes…

“I get to…”

Not because every responsibility is fun.

Not because every obligation feels good.

And DEFINITELY not because you should use gratitude to guilt yourself into enjoying something you hate.

Sometimes there is simply a “get to” hiding somewhere inside the “have to.”

This practice helps you notice it.

6. Ridiculous Gratitude

This is exactly what it sounds like.

Being grateful for ridiculously small, normal, overlooked things.

Automatic doors.

Warm water.

Your phone remembering a password you definitely do not remember.

Breathing without having to remind yourself to breathe.

And, yes…

Gratitude for being able to use the bathroom. 😏

7. 100 Reasons Right Now

Find 100 reasons to be grateful without leaving the moment you’re currently in.

Not your entire life.

Not your entire history.

RIGHT NOW.

It sounds harder than it is.

And then somewhere along the way it becomes harder in a completely different way:

You start realizing how much you normally overlook.

8. 100 Minutes of Gratitude

This one is less about finding MORE things and more about staying with gratitude LONGER.

Because sometimes we notice something good for approximately 1.7 seconds…

“oh that’s nice…”

…and immediately move on to the next problem.

What happens when you stay?

We’ll talk about that too.

So why eight different practices?

Because you can experience gratitude in multiple ways.

You don’t HAVE to journal every morning.

You don’t HAVE to write three things every night.

You don’t HAVE to walk around trying to feel thankful all day.

And you definitely don’t have to pretend everything is good.

Sometimes you need to change your perspective.

Sometimes you need to trace something backward.

Sometimes you need ONE WORD.

Sometimes you need to notice something ridiculously small.

Sometimes you need 100 reasons.

Sometimes you just need to stay with what’s good a little longer before life distracts you again.

The practices are different.

The purpose is pretty much the same:

Notice more of what is good and true without ignoring what is hard and true.

And maybe…

enjoy the experience of living life a little more.

Not because everything about your life is enjoyable.

But because you stop overlooking so much of what is.

Okay.

Overview complete. ✅

Next Thursday, we start with The Gratitude Ladder and actually practice this stuff together.

If you want to see all eight before then, I finally gave them a proper home at:

GratefulOnPurpose.com

And to keep tradition going…

Which of those eight practices sounds the most interesting to you right now?

Hit reply and tell me.

I may or may not use your answer to decide how much I talk about it when we get there. 👀

See you next Thursday.

Hopefully before 8pm. 😂

— Conrad

I say that like you were waiting on me 👀.

Whether that’s true or not, it’s still true that… I’m back.

I probably should’ve planned out better how I was going to “reintroduce” myself. But also, I’m in the middle of the beginning of launching a book about Being Grateful When Life Gets Hard. And I actually meant to launch this newsletter last week… a month ago… last year… before today.

Anywho, here I’m is. ^{←intentional incorrect grammar}

And here you are. So let’s get into it.

If You Decide To Stick Around

As of now the plan is to send a once-per-week newsletter with updates about all sorts of things. But rooted in practical gratitude tips.

I’ll be breaking all kinds of “rules” like including multiple links that go to different destinations within the first 140 words of this newsletter that I don’t necessarily want you to click away from yet, as well as run-on (^{is that supposed to be hyphenated? Why isn’t my Grammarly keyboard working!?!?}) sentences like this that might annoy some people and superscript formatting that doesn’t belong where it is.

I won’t always be this ridiculous, but today this is what we’re doing.

At some point, because it’ll be easier, this newsletter will have a consistent format. I (most likely) won’t always use it.

But as much as I enjoy thinking through writing, and will continue to do that privately…

I’ve learned over the last 16 years of ‘writing to help people’ that variety is most helpful with consistency.

So I’ll give you enough VARIETY through my random thoughts, but a consistent format will help.

At this point, I should probably stop writing one sentence paragraphs before I get accused of using AI to write this.

We’ll see.

What is Thank You Thursdays and Why?

The seed for this was planted in me 13+ years ago when T-Mobile started sending us free pizza and other things on Tuesdays. Remember T-Mobile Tuesdays anyone?

I was helping (and still help) local business owners with marketing. And I thought “thank you gifts” were a great way to stay top of mind with their customers.

And I like alliteration. So Thank You Thursdays popped up in my mind as “a thing” at some point for the work I was doing over there.

And also I’m a domain junkie 😫 so eventually I bought ThankYouThursdays.com 🤦🏿‍♂️.

And here we are.

Oh man, I started three one-sentence paragraphs with “And.”

Somebody call the 🤖 👮…

But what is Thank You Thursdays NOW?

Okay I’m going super granular and talking about what Thank You Thursdays is for the next nine weeks or so.

It’ll change after that. I think.

For the next 9 weeks I’m going to share the Grateful On Purpose creative gratitude practices I meant to share here 2+ years ago.

Next week I’ll do

• an overview of the practices

• why they matter

• what they are

• and most importantly how they can help you enjoy the experience of living life more

Aaaah maybe that’s it. Thank You Thursdays is here to help you enjoy the experience of living life more.

At least for the next nine weeks.

See, thinking through writing.

Anywho, next week will be an overview. And then one practice each week the following eight weeks.

If someone you care about is about to go through a stressful holiday season that they want to enjoy, without minimizing the stress of it or the joy of it, but embracing the complete truth of life being good and simultaneously sucking sometimes (another run on sentence!?!? 😩)… invite them along for the ride.

Okay that’s it for this week.

I’ll see you next week!

Okay I can’t help myself…

For old time’s sake, what’s one thing you’re grateful to be able to do that potentially annoys other people?

Like how I’m grateful I can write this newsletter grammatically incorrect, break all types of “rules” 🤪, and then do it better/correctly next week.

Maybe. 😉

You’ll find the basics of ONE-WORD Gratitude by clicking here if you haven’t seen that yet.

Here are the first three prompts:

Our 4th ONE-WORD Gratitude prompt is TRUNK.

It’s actually the example page I show inside The ONE-WORD Gratitude Journal so I’ll just share that here.

When I read the word trunk, I immediately saw the trunk at the foot of my bed in basic military training. Then I thought about subwoofers LOL.

The word trunk triggered gratitude for:

• The people who sent me letters while I was in basic training

• All my military experiences

• The times I had as a teenager riding around with my brothers and friends just playing loud music in cars

• All the trips and miles I’ve traveled accident-free

Does the word TRUNK trigger you to be grateful for anything?

Today’s gratitude prompt:

TRUNK

Leave a comment if you think of something related to the word trunk that you, someone you know, or even someone you don’t know might be grateful for.

And there are a few “monumental” events in this season of life that have pulled the classic cliche move of “getting here before we know it.”

For example:

Time is definitely moving faster than we are.

Yesterday’s prompt was triggered by my reading “TIME” on the One-Word Gratitude prompt list. But I didn’t mention the word and ended up going in a slightly different direction.

So today we’re using the word directly.

If you’re new to the newsletter, missed it the first time, or just need a refresher, you can review the basics of One-Word Gratitude here.

When you’re ready,👇🏿.

Here’s today’s gratitude prompt:

TIME

What image comes to mind when you read the word time?

What do you, people you know, or strangers have to be grateful for related to the image in your mind?

Related to time, what might you (or they):

• have been grateful for in the past?

• be grateful for in the future?

• be grateful for right now?

We’ll never see this specific moment again.

That can be a sobering acknowledgment.

I categorize this as one of the “weird things I think about - when I think about weird things.”

But every single day and moment we experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Sit with that.
For a moment.
For a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

.

.

.

.

If you are old enough to be reading this, you’ve likely lived a lot of moments.

Some great.

Some bad.

Some happy.

Some sad.

And since I started rhyming…
I’ll consider this good timing…

To continue along these lines.
Because rhythm opens minds.

And while I meant to keep this short…
I’ll do nothing of the sort.

If there’s a message I am giving.
That’ll help you maximize your living.

Now, I didn’t plan this out; I’m just going with the flow.
Experiencing the here and now - I’m just sharing what I know.

And at this point, it is time to move along.
It was never my intention; for this to turn into a…

Nevermind.

Today’s gratitude prompt:

What could make the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of TODAY something I’m grateful I experienced?

According to me, Gratitude Everywhen is a creative gratitude framework where we consider the following:

1. What am I (or they) experiencing NOW that I can be grateful for?

2. What might I (or they) experience in the FUTURE that I can be grateful for?

3. What might I (or they) have experienced in the PAST that I can be grateful for?

The “(or they)’s” are from The Gratitude Ladder1.

You can use Gratitude Everywhen with:

• Your own reasons to be grateful

• Other people’s reasons to be grateful

• A combination of both like above

• Or HOWEVER, YOU FEEL LIKE DOING IT - whatever helps you tap into the feelings of peace, joy, love, growth, etc., that come when you’re really feeling gratitude.

It’s simply another helpful way to exercise your “be more grateful” muscle so you can practice gratitude in difficult situations.

Combining it with One-Word Gratitude narrows it down so you’re not looking across all of Now, Future, and Past…

But again, this is YOUR gratitude practice.
Do it however you benefit the most.

Below, you’ll see an example of how I do it.

Today’s (One-Word) gratitude prompt:

SIDE

What do I see when I think of the word ‘side’?

Right now I think about being on the sidelines at one of my son’s games.

Applying Gratitude Everywhen:

• NOW: I’m grateful for the joy I see on my son’s face when he’s playing AND the frustration and pain he’s feeling as he’s growing through the challenges.

• FUTURE: I imagine (Lord willing) my wife and I reminiscing about these times and even sharing memories of these times with our grandkids.

• PAST: I’m grateful my parents, grandparents, and other family members got to see me enjoy myself in extracurricular activities as a kid. I’m thinking about the joy they felt and the sacrifices they made to make it happen.

Two people messaged me (outside of Substack) with similar messages - saying they really liked that prompt/exercise.

Right now, while writing this prompt:

• the prompt referenced above has 23 views

• this whole newsletter has 13 subscribers

• and my substack has 20 followers

I’ll take TWO (2) unprompted messages from unrelated people as “statistical significance” that I should share more about this practice.

After me, my wife , is usually the first one to test anything I do. Which was the case with One-Word Gratitude.

One of these days, maybe she and I will record a podcast episode about her first 100 days doing the practice.

But if I remember correctly, her “directions” were similar to what I shared here last week.

1. Pick a word.

2. Think about what you have to be grateful for related to that word.

My brain loves to complicate things.

So I quickly combined my One-Word Gratitude practice with other creative gratitude frameworks.

One is what I call “The Gratitude Ladder”.

When you’re on the bottom rung of the ladder you can only see what YOU have experienced that you can be grateful for.

Once you step up a little to the middle rungs of the ladder, you begin to see what people you know may have experienced that you can be grateful for.

When you reach the top rungs of the ladder, you gain a clear view of what strangers may have experienced that you can be grateful for.

As you practice One-Word Gratitude, you may find some words difficult to relate to something you’re personally grateful for.

But what if it can relate to something your family and friends might be grateful for? Or even to something a stranger might be grateful for?

It still only begins with one word.
You just get to use your imagination a little more this time.

Take 60 seconds and think about what you, people you know, and people you don’t know have to be grateful for about the word.

Today’s (One-Word) gratitude prompt:

BEGIN

What do I see when I think of the word ‘begin’? What might my family and friends be grateful for related to ‘begin’? What might a stranger be grateful for related to the word ‘begin’?

✔️ more time
✔️ more money
✔️ more expertise

"Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied.” - George Washington Carver

He’s not saying don’t become better.

He’s not saying don’t use your time wiser, don’t get more money, and don’t develop more skills.

He IS saying, don’t let those things stop you from starting.

He’s simply saying…

Start where you are.

Today’s gratitude prompt:

What do I have that I can start with right now?

And until a few moments ago, I always thought I used Google Maps to get here.

I had a Blackberry I thought I had the Google Maps app on. But apparently, that may be a made-up memory.

According to a blog post from Google1, Google Maps didn’t exist on Blackberry until November 2007.

In case you’re too young to know, Blackberry was a smartphone. Kind of.

Android phones didn’t exist yet.
The iPhone was less than a month old.

And Google Maps didn’t come out on Android until 2008 and iOS until 2012. 

So I have no idea what I was using in July 2007 to drive across the country.
But I made it 🤷🏿‍♂️.

I was researching when Google Maps came out to see how long I have been using it.

I currently use it to go almost EVERYWHERE, even places I know how to get to. According to my timeline, I’ve visited 2,113 places.

But one recent morning, I decided to not use Google Maps. I was driving to one of my kids’ schools that I’ve driven to literally hundreds of times in the last few years.

I know multiple ways to get there.

And still, somehow, without that audible “turn left in 500 feet” in the background, I missed a turn that would’ve saved me ten minutes.

I didn’t think much of it until 20 minutes later, when without using Google Maps - to go to a coffee shop I’ve visited at least 2 dozen times - I drove further than necessary. Again.

Maybe I should’ve been more mindful while driving. But here’s what I know…

When I listen to Google Maps, I don’t miss as many turns, get stuck in as much traffic, or waste as much time.

Today’s gratitude prompt:

What didn’t exist 5/10/15 years ago, that I now have access to and use religiously?

Because:

• It only takes one word.

• You can do it in less than 90 seconds.

• You can learn how to do it in less than 5 minutes.

And really, you can learn a basic 2-step version in mere moments.

Here’s the basic version:

1. Choose ONE word from the 100 One-Word Gratitude prompts shared below. (Don’t think too hard, just choose the first one that you notice.)

2. Take 60 seconds to meditate on what you—or someone you know—might be grateful for related to the word you noticed.

There’s usually a mental image you see when you read a word.

For example, TRUCK was one of the first words I did this with.

A mental image that came to mind was one of my earliest jobs as a teenager, helping deliver produce to grocery stores. Which we did on a truck.

I had so many things to be grateful for as I thought of that time.

✔️ The life-long lessons from working so hard.
✔️ The friendships I formed that lasted years beyond the farm.
✔️ The free honey buns I’d get from a small corner store downtown.
✔️ The delicious grits, hash, bacon, & eggs from one Bi-Lo we delivered to.

SIDENOTE: Food is in a lot of my thankful thoughts. 🫣

You can go way beyond 60 seconds.
But 60 seconds is enough.

Every word below is not as easy to picture as “TRUCK”, but it’s good to be stretched with this exercise.

No matter the word, the goal is super simple.

One word.
60 seconds.
Really FEEL it.

Repeat until you complete the list.

Today’s (100 One-Word) gratitude prompt:

Choose one word from the list. Feel the thankful thoughts it brings up for 60 seconds.

And if you prefer the 100 One-Word Gratitude prompts in text, here they are:

1. BEGIN

2. SIDE

3. TIME

4. TRUNK

5. INTRODUCE

6. EARTH

7. DENIED

8. BOOK

9. HARD

10. FUNNY

11. UNTIL

12. LEAD

13. JUMP

14. INVENTION

15. MATTRESS

16. INK

17. CHILD

18. LUNG

19. LOCAL

20. LIMIT

21. SERVICE

22. CONTINUE

23. REMAIN

24. DANCE

25. QUIT

26. INSIDE

27. SAFE

28. FAST

29. EXTREME

30. PROTECT

31. HONEST

32. JOURNEY

33. LEAVE

34. WHOLE

35. CRY

36. ACCEPT

37. KITCHEN

38. NOISE

39. THINK

40. WHISPER

41. KNEE

42. QUESTION

43. SKILLED

44. ADDITION

45. FLAVOR

46. FLOWER

47. HELP

48. TIRE

49. CHEER

50. UP

51. ACCESS

52. DEFINE

53. FLOAT

54. HOLD

55. OFFER

56. ONLY

57. KNOW

58. PLANT

59. GARBAGE

60. FINISH

61. SIMPLE

62. GREEN

63. EYES

64. BALL

65. VISIT

66. SMILE

67. LEARN

68. ME

69. MORNING

70. SATURDAY

71. PICTURE

72. MINT

73. FAVORITE

74. OLD

75. REPEAT

76. ΑΝΝΟΥ

77. NEW

78. YEAR

79. REST

80. WORK

81. NECK

82. PEOPLE

83. YES

84. ALL

85. BEACH

86. BETTER

87. NUMBER

88. OURS

89. FREE

90. GO

91. JUICE

92. VARIETY

93. NEAR

94. KEY

95. GIFT

96. DANGER

97. CAR

98. BACK

99. NO

100. LANGUAGE

No.

Because this was an idea I had back in 2014. And I never launched it. 🤦🏿‍♂️

I won’t spend too much time crying over spilled milk.

But I missed a daily gratitude prompt here. 😭

Not that I expected to be “perfect” and never miss a day. I just didn’t expect to miss one this soon.

While:

1. There are almost a dozen draft prompts on the back end waiting to be finalized and shared.

2. I have 100+ prompts I’ve written for myself over the years.

3. And I still want to share the “creative gratitude practices” I use as a foundation for my personal gratitude habit.

Life handed me lemons yesterday.

So I missed a day.
But the truth is, I didn’t have to.

I’ve had this thought for years (can’t remember if I heard it somewhere or if it’s a Conrad original) that:

When life hands you lemons, you can do more than make lemonade, you can open a lemonade stand.

But sometimes a lemonade stand may be too much. It takes way more than just lemons.

Sometimes making lemonade may be too much. What if you don’t have any water?

Sometimes you should give the lemons to someone else.

Maybe someone who knows how to make:

• lemon oil

• lemon bars

• lemon risotto

• lemon preserves

• lemon meringue pie

• lemon chicken pasta

What if you just want to eat the lemons?

What if you don’t want to do anything with the lemons today? 🤷🏿‍♂️

These are all viable options.

We can do (or not do) whatever we choose with what we’ve been handed.

We can combine what we’ve been given (lemons) with other resources to bring smiles to people’s faces and put profits in our pockets (a lemonade stand).

We can tap into other people’s skills to make lemony delicious treats.

Or we can do something much simpler.

Today’s gratitude prompt:

When have I seen “lemons” turned into a “lemonade stand” that brought smiles to people’s faces?

She said, “It helped that our mom made us write reflection papers when we got in trouble as kids.”

Then she says:

While all the Deas kids can write well, Conrad is probably the best because he got in trouble the most and had the most practice.

She’s not lying. 🤷🏿‍♂️

So today’s gratitude prompt:

What felt like punishment but actually prepared you for your future?

“A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”

It helped change my marriage.

Because I quickly realized there were uncomfortable conversations I wasn’t willing to have.

With my wife.
With myself.
With God.

I tend to see things in pictures.

Even today, when I read that quote, I see a path littered with obstacles.

And I imagine my goal is to make it to the other end of the path.
But the only way to get there is through the obstacles.

There’s no way around them.
There’s no way under them.
There’s no way over them.

The only way is through them.

And those obstacles are the uncomfortable conversations.

Over the years, I’ve grown willing to have those uncomfortable conversations - not every time, but enough times to notice the difference.

For years I heard the quote, “You’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

I’m not sure if this is truer anywhere than in the conversations you’re willing to have with yourself and others.

Here’s the good news.

We only have to have these conversations one at a time.

Meaning we’re only one conversation away from making progress.
Which conversation will it be?
We never know.

So we have to be willing to have them whenever they come up. And it helps to be grateful for the ones we’ve already had.

Today’s gratitude prompt:

What are the uncomfortable conversations that have made a big difference in my life? Or the ones that WILL make a big difference in my life?

What’s something you don’t HAVE to do a specific way?

**CONTINUE BELOW**

If you read the daily gratitude prompts before this one, you’ll see the gratitude prompt is always at the bottom.

Today, I switched things up.

Simply to prove a point.
Mostly to myself.

But maybe the point will help you too.

What’s the point?
I CAN switch things up.

I can do “sdrawkcab tpmorp eht”1. Only a few things in life MUST be done a specific way. And many of those happen autonomously.

Or is it autonomically?
Or is it automatically?

Which brings us back to the point.

I really want to figure out which word is the proper one to use above. Automatically. Autonomously. Autonomically. Which is it!?!? And normally I’d figure that out. Then go back and edit. I’d also normally remove the word really from the first sentence of this paragraph. I’d also normally delete this whole paragraph and start over. I also usually don’t write paragraphs this long for these prompts.

But again…

This doesn’t HAVE to be done a certain way.

I can put square objects in round holes.

It’s okay to bE fLEXIBLE.

Even if it means people hate the writing in this prompt.

Even if it gives the writing gatekeepers an example to show why there should be writing gatekeepers.

It’s just how I’m feeling today. Maybe tomorrow I’ll “write it right correctly”. 🤷🏿‍♂️

Drastic (and uncommon) results.

He did several things to make that happen.
But there was ONE Too Simple Strategy that was the foundation of everything.

In his own words…

“Here’s the Critical thing that Every Marketer needs to Get Better at…

What is working?
And then, how can you do more of it?

What is NOT working?
And how can you do less of it?”

How simple is that?
Too simple for the common (wo)man to take seriously.

But for those willing to live an uncommon life…

Whether you’re looking for drastic results to:

• increase your peace

• lower your blood pressure

• decrease business expenses

• increase intimacy in your relationship

Noah’s questions may help.

1. What’s working?

2. What’s NOT working?

3. How can I do more and less of each?

Today’s gratitude prompt:

What am I glad I no longer do?
What am I glad I started (or will start) doing?

In the book The ONE Thing1, authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan share the story of a San Francisco physics experiment.

Starting with a two-inch domino, they were able to knock over a three-foot-tall domino2.

The three-foot-tall domino was the 8th in line.

Each domino, starting with the tiny two-inch domino, was able to knock over a domino 50% larger than itself.

On its own, the two-inch domino would have had no effect on the three-foot domino.

But geometric progression made it possible.

They said if they went beyond eight dominoes:

• The 10th domino would be as tall as an NFL quarterback.

• The 23rd domino would be taller than the Eiffel Tower.

And it all began with a two-inch domino.

Of course, your life is not perfectly sized dominoes - in the right order - in a straight line.

But there’s a “two-inch starting/next step” to your “Eiffel Tower-sized goal”.

Need to finish your book?
Write the first/next word.

Want to run a marathon?
Jog slowly for one minute.

Need to make a big purchase?
Set aside the first dollar.

Want a better marriage?
Have the first conversation.

Figure out the smallest thing you CAN do first/next.

Then do that.
Then celebrate.

To help you get started, here’s today’s gratitude prompt:

What’s the two-inch step I can take toward something I’ve been putting off - and how can I celebrate pushing the first domino?

It takes time to develop a sincere thank you for some things.

For other things…

Our “thank you” is automatic.

And some things…

We may never be thankful for.

And that’s okay.

We can only be where we are. To try and be somewhere else is silly.

Lying to yourself, to convince yourself, doesn’t work.

So if you’re not thankful for something. Don’t pretend to be. 🤷🏿‍♂️

But also…

Don’t ignore what you ARE thankful for - while you’re experiencing what you’re NOT thankful for.

Two things can be true at once.

Todays gratitude prompt:

Be honest. What am I NOT thankful for right now? And what am I thankful for at the same time?