😂 Steemit Gratitude Journal - Official Introduction To The New Event And Contest

The Steemit Gratitude Journal is an open invitation weekly event, where every participant wins! Enthusiastic upvotes, heartfelt replies, and valuable Steem rewards will go to the top posts each week, and the most inspiring entries will be spotlighted in a curated list.

The Invitation

• Share your radical attitude of gratitude. Please be original and authentic.
• Enter “Steemit Gratitude Journal” as the beginning of your post title.
• Choose #gratitudejournal as your first tag. Use the #gratitude tag too.
• Add a link to your post in the Reply section of this post.
• [Optional] Upvote, Reply, and Resteem, as you feel called.

Note: This is a new contest, so please let me know if you see opportunities for improvement.

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The Incentives

• The Top 11 entries will be spotlighted in a curated list.
• 100% of Steem Dollars earned by this post will be distributed among the Top 11.
• Upvotes, Replies, and Resteems will promote your appropriate and original posts.
• [Most Important] All of us may actively give and receive the gift that is gratitude.

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The Mission

Support the well-being of our Steemit community by inviting, recognizing, and rewarding the attitude of gratitude. The Steemit Gratitude Journal aims to focus our attention on the abundant blessings that surround every one of us in every moment, even in the most challenging life situations. Truly, life itself is a gift, and it's high-time we celebrate this, through stories that strum the heartstrings.

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The Vision

Clearly, the Steemit Open Mic and the Steemit Culinary Challenge are already working wonders to: (1) encourage quality content creation; (2) build real connections; and (3) create favorable impressions for outsiders and newcomers. These advantages are boosting the value of STEEM, amplifying the visibility of Steemit.com, and unifying many of us Steemians. With any luck, and with your participation, The Steemit Gratitude Journal will be similarly rewarding, while further elevating us as we focus our energy on the things that lift us up. Will you join me in launching this?

Here on Steemit, it is customary to compliment each other's great creations, and then reply with sincere “Thank you” notes. We gain rewards in exchange for these efforts, ranging from Steem Power to real friendships. Even more rewarding, in my opinion, is the boosted feeling of joy we share as we create, co-create, and curate original content that brings us bliss. Naturally, we draw near to things that bring us happiness–this is great material for Steemit posts. With these truths in mind, I feel confident that the Steemit Gratitude Journal will be a welcomed addition.

The positive results of our gratitude are simple to see here on Steemit: higher reputation scores, more followers, greater earnings... One of the exemplary Steemians who shines in her appreciation is @woman-onthe-wing, host of the Culinary Challenge, who personally thanks each of the many Culinary Challenge participants. Likewise, @luzcypher is the host of the Open Mic, offering dozens if not hundreds of complimentary comments to Open Mic participants each week. Also noteworthy is @samstonehill, a family man filled with appreciation as he travels the world on his Steemit earnings.

Definitely, gratitude is good for our health! Scientific studies prove that there are mental, physical, and emotional benefits in cultivating an authentic attitude of gratitude, a.k.a. “optimistic realism”–this is advantageous for every Steemian. Gratitude improves self-esteem and leads to a healthier heart, easier breathing, restful sleeping, and stronger immunity. It frees people from the grips of envy, resentment, regret, and other toxic negative emotions. Gratitude improves mental resilience, even during hard times. FYI, see the Forbes article: 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Gratitude.

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The Truth

To be fair, we all have ups and downs. One day, we're as bright as the Sun, shining in all directions, and the next day we're crying like a storm cloud. There is ecstasy and agony in life, and no one needs to put on a happy face when the sadness is real. Despite the challenges we all face, I do believe there is something powerful in the practice of willing ourselves to be well. This belief is motivated by several sources, including the story of Norman Cousins, who invented a regimen of laughter therapy to cure chronic pain and serious illness. This may sound like a pipe dream, but I've experienced it in my own life.

Even though I have a headache in this moment, due to anxiety, overwhelm, and eye strain, I can hear three little kids laughing and playing, and I feel grateful. Sure, I could focus on lack for the fact that my family and I live very modestly, on an artist's salary, or I could feel abundance for the freedom of infinite creative ability. Yes, and I could also suffer with illusions of grandeur or entitlement to fame and riches, after all I've created, but instead I can rest in the peace and comfort of knowing I've done my Work. It's a matter of perspective, and in this way, attitude is a choice.

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The Gratitude

What am I grateful for today? I'm grateful for Steemit. In this moment, our favorite social network is still in beta phase, with a fast-growing audience, and many millions of eclectic articles, reflecting the views of the counterculture as well as the mainstream, and all is acceptable. Here, we have brilliance and beauty, alongside bizarre. Here we have nakedness, cannabis, and radical artistry. Sounds a lot like The Grateful Dead concert, doesn't it?

The best-known Grateful Dead art icon is a red, white, and blue skull with a lightning bolt through it, designed by Owsley Stanley and artist Bob Thomas, originally used as a logo to mark the band's equipment. I've adapted the logo for the purposes of this event, intending to continue the legacy of this beloved band and their brand, while focusing on Steemit.