It's time for Gratitudesnaps Challenge 2020!! Who knew back in 2017 that Gratitudesnaps would become a global movement that would be going on 4 years! Read the story of how Gratitudesnaps was born and listen to a special episode of the Make Learning Magical podcast where Tara Martin and I chat about gratitude and launch Gratitudesnaps Challenge 2020! Listen HERE!

I was having a very teary day this week when my bestie, Tara Martin, sent me a Vox saying, "Hey girl, are you ready to start up #GratitudeSnaps again?!" It was like someone applied a defibrillator to my heart to jumpstart it back into rhythm. I knew in that moment that a flood of positivity is exactly what I needed in my life.  As we chatted about the details of launching our 3rd annual #GratitudeSnaps, my heart swelled with gratitude and joy. Tara is a friend who has consistently "showed up" in my life through fire and rain. Together we've celebrated, cried, cannonballed, ate ice cream, and navigated wild and roaring class 4 rapids. She has been the REALest friend a girl could ask for. Each November of gratitude has found us in a different chapter of our story and yet, it always seems to come at the perfect time. When people begin to flood the Twittersphere with an outpouring of gratitude and love, you can't help but feel the joy. I am almost giddy with excitement to announce that #GratitudeSnaps 20 is launching Sunday, November 1st! Read the story of #GratitudeSnaps below to learn how #GratitudeSnaps began! ​Then, join us! It will bring joy to your heart, I guarantee it!!

The Story of #GratitudeSnapsSometimes the REALness of life tackles you like a herd of massive NFL football players, and you lie helplessly dogpiled beneath them. That's pretty close to my state of mind this past week. Of course, on this particular week, I (Tara) forgot to wear my "football helmet," and I paid for it. When I get this way, I begin to hyper-reflect. If you're unsure of that term, check out my blog here that peeks into the TMM brain aka the Highly Reflective One. 

As I reflected on all sorts of current TMM circumstances, I felt myself seeping into a deep, dark place. Why? Because, the mind is a powerful, complex organ. In fact, it's essentially the boss of our bodies; it controls everything! It can also wire and rewire itself based on what we feed it. For example, when I dwelt on one negative thought, it created a synapse-connection in my mind. Then, negativity doesn't stop there. You see these types of thoughts are villains in my brain. So, they ran around tempting my STRONG positive synapse-connections to give way to another negative thought, and another and another, until a massive web of negativity consumed my thought-processing compartment. I was so disappointed in myself. In fact, the result was pitiful, to say the least. Within a very short amount of time, my mind was rewired with invalidating thoughts, a sense of complete inadequacy, frustration overload and pretty much a feeling of absolute worthlessness. How did I allow this to happen? Why? It's that thing called being a REAL human. However, this is when I needed a REAL friend. So, I messaged my friend, Tisha. She's my #SoulSister! In the valley or on the mountain top, this girl has my back. 
After I had rambled on for what seemed like forever, she gave me some great advice.

REAL Talk - Friend to Friend
As I was talking with Tara, I could completely relate! I said to my friend, “We all find ourselves in that place of negativity at times. I know I do! Life is hard and full of unexpected twists, turns and bumps along the way. Ya know, when I find myself in that deep, dark place it always helps to look back at all of the pivotal events that have helped shape and bring me to where I’m at today.  Sometimes those events are positive, and sometimes they are negative.  Regardless, they’ve added to my story and if nothing else, made me stronger. Girl, look around you, reflect on the positive that is happening in your life….so many amazing things! Reflecting on those times, allows me to shift my focus from the negative of my current circumstance to all that I have to be grateful for.”

Listening to Tisha's input grounded me (Tara) and helped me "rewire" my brain by breaking some of the newly formed negative synapse-connections and begin replacing them with hopeful ones. I realized at this moment (and voiced it to Tisha)--gratefulness is missing in my life and spirit. That's my problem! I need to look around and realize all of the wonderful things happening in my life of which I should be grateful. In other words, I need to redesign my thought process aka get back to the REAL TMM!

Tisha’s Idea!
As I was sharing this with Tara, an idea popped into my head! “Hey, Tara! What if you kept a 30-day Gratitude Journal?!  Each day you could write about one thing to be grateful for to help climb out of this negativity pit!” 
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​Then...​ ​

WHAM....BAM!
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Another idea hit me upside the head that perfectly fit my dear soul sister! “Tara, what about creating #GratitudeSnaps!  Instead of a journal, you could take a daily pic of something you are grateful for, make a snap out of it, and then share it out via social media! This would allow you to do what you love “create digitally” AND focus on the positives in your life! Just as #BookSnaps help us connect and draw meaning from the text, #GratitudeSnaps could help connect with the positive that is in our lives in a meaningful way.”

Tara’s Take On the Idea and The Challenge
Instantly, I loved the idea. Of course, as Tisha said, it’s using what I love, my passion of creating digitally and helping me to rewire my mindset. There is so much neuroscience to explain why this works beautifully for not only adults but students (and all humans), but I’ll not bore you with all of the details. However, as educators, it's vital that we try this method of counseling. It’s more than talking to someone; it’s tapping into their passions and strengths to help them overcome. Beautifully done, Tisha. That’s REAL friendship and REAL mentoring. You’re the best!
I’m guessing I’m not the only person in the world that might benefit from finding something to be grateful for each day and snapping it out. In fact, I do not want gratitude to simply hide in my Snap Story--let’s launch this EDUforce!
PLN peeps, have something to be grateful for? 
Think you might snap it out each day and share it via Twitter or other social media platforms using the hashtag #GratitudeSnaps? 
It’s that easy. Let’s do this thing!
Tisha, take it away.
Ok, Tara, I’m pumped!

PLN peeps, 
So here’s the challenge:

1. Focus each day on one thing you are grateful for.  It could be a thing, a person, a feeling….it’s personal to you!
2. Take a picture with your phone and upload to SnapChat. Or, Snap it straight from the app. Or, use any picture app to create your #GratitudeSnaps. (We will be using SnapChat.)
3. Create a Gratitude Snap by connecting it to the positive in your life in a meaningful way.  Add pics, text, anything you choose.
4. Post it to Twitter including #GratitudeSnaps

Thank you, my friend.
Are you ready to storm the world with a POSITIVE #GratitudeSnaps force? I (Tara) am!
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Let’s begin our 30-days of #GratitudeSnaps on November 1, 2020!
The world has plenty of negativity, let’s spread gratitude! We have so much of which to be thankful.

Curate Gratitudesnaps in your school or classroom using the Gratitudesnaps Challenge Template below. Share the link with your staff or students, or embed in your LMS. Each day, have people post their gratitudesnaps to the day's column. You can customize the Padlet options depending on the setting and age of participants. You can choose to approve posts, allow likes or comments, etc. If everyone takes part, think of how much gratitude could be collected and shared!

*Updated 10/4/2020

I fell in love with the movie "The Greatest Showman" the first time I saw it and though I have heard this song many times, for some reason when I listened to a Youtube video of Pink singing, "A Million Dreams", with her daughter Willow, the floodgates opened. This song. At this moment. Awoke something in my soul. ​

When I think of every educator in our world right now. I think of courage. You are showing up every day exposed and authentic, while sometimes the audience rolls their eyes and sneers, expecting failure. And yet, you keep going, failing, succeeding, laughing, crying...because your students need you. What if we leaned into our disruption and discomfort and let joy propel us? How would that shift teaching and learning in our schools? How would that change the way our students view education and life-long learning?