Hello, lovely one!

How was your week?

Have you ever had that experience where you’ve committed to doing something, but halfway through it, you get so tired that you wonder why you started out in the first place? Or is it just me. haha.

I almost gave up on being able to complete this challenge after missing out on so many days. But hey, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it’s never too late to start again. So here we go! You may need a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits because it might be a long one. Let’s do this!

Day 6: Practice Thankful Pauses

From the moment I wake up, right in that daze, I pause and say thank you. (Okay, that almost sounded like the lyrics of ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ by Dionne Warwick. But I digress.) I thank God for my limbs and body organs. I thank God for His protection all through the night. I thank God for my plants when I see them every morning. It’s a practice I’m still building, and I challenge you to do the same!

Pause in the middle of your day and be thankful for something. Be thankful for the clean water you’re drinking. Some people don’t have that. Or for the power supply and internet facilitating your work. It could be anything! Sometimes, I pause and watch my sister’s kids and think how much I love them, and how I’m grateful for them! With these pauses, you will be able to take a step back from the hustle and bustle and just be present. Soon, you will discover more reasons to be thankful.

Day 7: Send a Thank You Note

When it comes to saying thank you to people, I never hesitate. I’m very thankful for the people who have helped or supported me, especially in some of my hardest seasons. I tend to mostly send them thank you notes as text messages, but thankfully I got these Hallmark cards that have been super helpful. It allows me to write all the sweet words I want them to hear. You know, sometimes we assume people know we are thankful for them or that we love them..but they don’t know. They need to be told and reminded. Send out a thank you note today to make someone’s day!

Day 8: Be Kind to a Stranger

I don’t get to go out as often, as I rarely see strangers. But I look forward to my morning walks where I get to greet and smile at other people jogging and at security officers who have spent the night protecting residents where I live. I look forward to seeing them on most mornings with a huge smile, a wave, and a loud ‘Good morning!’ from across the street. This may seem pretty basic, but I know how it feels to be unseen and unheard. This is a good chance to show strangers that they’re seen and heard and that they matter. It’s a beautiful reminder that we’re not alone. If you’re lucky to meet strangers on your commute, do something nice for them. I know how busy the city can get, where we even briskly walk past people without even saying hi. I hope this reminds you to slow down a little and brighten someone else’s day.

Day 9: Coffee Date

I would love to do this! But I haven’t gotten to do it yet (and I’m not gonna make excuses- even though things like Nigerian elections, cash scarcity, and fuel scarcity are very valid reasons). Haha. I’ll be sure to circle back to this, hopefully, before the end of the challenge.

If you have the opportunity, please take someone out on a coffee date. Take the time to ask them about their lives, and pay attention to them. Pray with them. Encourage them. This is a great way to show them that you care.

Day 10: Post Gratitude Notes to Help You Remember

I am forever grateful for DaintyM Pick Me Up Jars where we write handwritten post-its in a jar to encourage people. For this challenge, I focused on gratitude quotes. It helps bring your mind from a place of worry to a place of gratitude. You can also write these notes and post them around you, or order a jar from here.

Day 11: Compliment a Stranger

This should be easy. Well, except you’re an overthinker like me that wonders what would happen if the person you compliment totally ignores you. Or you draw up other possible worse things that could happen. Truth is, the chances of any of those horrible things you imagined happening are pretty slim. So, I say go for it. Tell that lady you like her hairstyle or her outfit. Make them smile!

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. 

Leo Buscaglia

Day 12: Spread Positivity

Thankfully, I do this often as a part of who I am. But frankly, it can be difficult to spread positivity when you aren’t feeling as positive. That’s where our community comes in. When we have a community of people around us who spread positivity, it’s easier to find the positivity we need to rekindle our dying flames.

Follow pages on social media (like @daintymblog) that post positive things. You too can be a creator of positivity on your social media for others to follow.

Day 13: Give a Small Gift

When I read this post on PageFlutter, they actually gave an example of tulips. You can also give people the gift of a houseplant or a wall frame (from @daintymblog).

For this prompt, I gave someone a flower as a small gift. It was a really small gift, but it’s the thought that counts. Whenever I can, I love to give out gifts (maybe because this is my dominant love language). It’s another way of saying ‘Hey, I was thinking of you and I figured you would like this.’

Give gifts to the ones you love without waiting for a special occasion. Let’s learn to adopt the ‘just because’ type of gift-giving. (But if you still need a reason, my birthday is right around the corner. Lol.)

Well, that’s all for now! Let’s go refill those tea cups for the next batch of prompts.

Thank you for reading! Which prompt is your favorite? Please let me know in the comment section.

Love,

M.