Thank You Thursdays #6: One Word Gratitude 💬

How a truck (and a trunk) reminded me that almost anything can trigger gratitude.

TRUCK.

Is that a word you’ve ever used to kick off a conversation about gratitude?

I assume not, unless, of course, you happen to be really grateful for your truck. In which case, congratulations. You’re already ahead of me.

But years ago, a truck helped me discover something about gratitude that I still practice today.

And it’s one of the simplest gratitude practices I know.

Actually, I like to call it The World’s Simplest, Most Habit-Forming Creative Gratitude Practice.

A little ambitious? Maybe. 👀

I’ll let you decide.

The Delivery Truck Reminder

Years ago, I was walking when I noticed a delivery truck parked behind a grocery store.

Nothing particularly special about it.

But seeing that truck reminded me of one of my earliest jobs, working on a farm as a preteen.

Part of my job involved helping deliver produce to local grocery stores.

And suddenly, I found myself remembering all kinds of things from that season of my life.

The people I worked with. The friendships. The lessons I learned from working hard at such a young age.

Even some of the food I got to enjoy along the way.

Like free honey buns from a little corner store in downtown Charleston. And grits, eggs, and corned beef hash from a Bi-Lo in West Ashley we delivered to.

Somehow food always finds its way into my thankful thoughts. 😂

I wasn’t walking around trying to remember my childhood. I wasn’t intentionally thinking about things I was grateful for. I initially wasn’t even grateful for the TRUCK itself.

One ordinary object triggered a memory that led to a whole collection of things I could appreciate.

And I started wondering…

What if I could do that ON PURPOSE? What if I could start with just about ANY word and see where it takes me?

That became the idea behind One Word Gratitude.

One Word. A Ridiculous Number of Possibilities.

The practice is simple.

Pick a word. ANY word.

Doesn’t need to be a positive word. And it doesn’t need to be something you’re already grateful for.

Just a word.

Then take 60 seconds and explore what that word brings to mind that you might be grateful for.

That’s it.

Seriously.

You can do it in less than 90 seconds.

You don’t need a journal. You don’t need a quiet room. You don’t need a perfectly peaceful morning with a cup of coffee and some inspirational music playing in the background.

Although, if that’s your thing, go for it. 🤷🏿‍♂️

You just need a word and a willingness to explore where it might lead.

And sometimes it leads somewhere you wouldn’t expect.

TRUNK. (With an N.)

One time, Jennifer and I used the word TRUNK.

For me, it immediately brought back memories of Air Force basic training.

There was a trunk at the foot of my bed in the dorm.

And thinking about that trunk reminded me of the people who sent me letters while I was away, the experiences I had, and some of the relationships that came out of my time in the military.

Jennifer went in a completely different direction.

She thought about moving into college and having her belongings packed in the trunk of her car.

And then THAT reminded me of riding around with my brothers and friends when we were younger, listening to loud music coming from speakers in the trunk of the car.

Yep. Subwoofers. 🔊

Same word. Different memories. Different experiences.

And a whole bunch of reasons for gratitude that neither of us was thinking about before we started.

Plus, we got to share some memories and learn a little more about each other’s experiences.

All because of ONE WORD.

Neither of us needed to be grateful for a trunk.

We just needed to explore what the word brought to mind.

Why I Call It Habit-Forming

Think about how many words you encounter every single day.

Words you read. Words you hear. Words you say. Words that randomly pop into your mind.

Words are EVERYWHERE.

And nearly ANY one of them could be the beginning of a gratitude practice.

A word on a billboard.

A conversation with a friend.

Something you hear on the radio.

A sign at the grocery store.

Or a delivery truck parked behind a building.

You don’t necessarily have to stop everything you’re doing and announce, “IT’S GRATITUDE TIME!” That’d be weird. 👀

You can simply notice a word, allow it to remind you of something good, and take a moment to appreciate it.

The more you practice intentionally, the more opportunities you may begin to notice naturally.

That’s why I believe One Word Gratitude has so much potential to become a habit.

You don’t have to wait until something wonderful happens.

You don’t have to manufacture reasons to be grateful.

You can use something as ordinary as a random word to remind yourself of good things you might otherwise overlook.

And no, that doesn’t mean every word will lead to some amazing revelation.

Some words will be easier than others.

Try GARBAGE. ANNOY. DANGER.

Those may not be as easy as SUNSHINE or FAMILY, right?

But even those words CAN lead you to something worth appreciating.

You don’t have to pretend garbage smells good or that being annoyed is enjoyable.

The goal isn’t to be grateful for the WORD.

The goal is to see what reasons for gratitude the word might help you remember or discover.

Let’s Practice One Word Gratitude

I’ve already put together a list of random 100 One-Word Gratitude Prompts.

Here’s all you have to do:

1. Choose ONE word. Randomly. Don’t overthink it. Pick the first one that catches your attention.

2. Take 60 seconds. Think about what you, someone you know, or even someone you DON’T know might be grateful for related to that word.

3. Experience the gratitude. When you discover something worth appreciating, don’t immediately move on. Spend a little time actually appreciating it.

One word.

60 seconds.

And potentially a whole bunch of reasons to be grateful.

Then, sometime this week, try it WITHOUT the word list.

Use the first word or object you notice when you enter a room.

Something you read. Something someone says. Whatever you notice.

See where it takes you.

And I’d love to hear what happens.

Hit reply or comment below and tell me the word you chose and ONE reason for gratitude it triggered.

Especially if it’s a word that seems completely unrelated to anything you’d normally be grateful for.

Those might be my favorites. 😂

The more grateful I am, the more convinced I become that I don’t necessarily need more good things to happen in my life to have more reasons to be grateful.

Sometimes I simply need to notice more of the good that’s already connected to the life I’m living.

And apparently, even a random word can help me do that.

Until next Thursday…

Stay grateful.

🙌🏿 Conrad

P.S. Try One Word Gratitude with somebody else this week. Give them the SAME word you used and see what it brings to mind for them. You might end up having a conversation you never would’ve had otherwise. Jennifer and I certainly have.

One More Thing

We’ve already explored three gratitude frameworks in the previous three Thank You Thursdays.

One Word Gratitude gives you a really easy way to practice all three.

The Gratitude Ladder 🪜

Start with your word and think about what it brings to mind that YOU can be grateful for.

Then think about people you know.

Then people you DON’T know.

What might that same word remind THEM to be grateful for?

Gratitude Everywhen ♾️

Take the same word and explore three directions.

What good things from your PAST does it remind you of?

What can you appreciate RIGHT NOW?

What good things MIGHT happen in the future that the word brings to mind?

The Gratitude Chain 🔗

Take one thing the word reminds you to be grateful for.

What made THAT possible?

And what made THAT possible?

Keep following the connections.

You could spend 60 seconds with one random word and discover something worth appreciating.

Or you could spend 10 minutes using all three frameworks and end up with dozens of reasons for gratitude.

Same word.

Lots of possibilities.

And you don’t have to do all of that every time.

Sometimes ONE word leading to ONE grateful thought is plenty.