I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago. It’s great in theory, hard in practice. Why do they all fail? Unrealistic expectations, poor execution. It’s not the idea of them, it’s the “um, what???” of them.

I want to loose 20 lbs = um, what??? I can’t eat donuts?

I want to build muscle and have a strong, toned body = Um, what, you want me to flip tires at 5 am EVERY MORNING?

I want to live debt free and have a robust savings account = um, what? but it’s buy one get one free on the DONUTS!

I’m not advocating that we should give up long-term goals but perhaps we should be a little more short-sighted with them. Instead, consider setting New Day Goals – setting intentions for the day, every single day. Perhaps you wake up and say, “today I’m taking the stairs” or “today I’m parking five spots further from the door.” Maybe you wake up tomorrow and say, “today I’m going to invest $100 in a 12-month bank CD.” Setting an intention for the day can help set the tone and provide a structure for that day.

For me this year, I’ve decided to practice genuine thankfulness every single day.

That’s it? Seriously? Insert eye roll here.

It’s harder than you think. It’s hard to thank your waiter who got every single order wrong. It’s hard to thank the coach that made you bring your kid to swim practice at 6:00AM ON NEW YEARS DAY. Masochists. 

It’s hard to thank your spouse for telling you how to fix a problem that wasn’t a problem until they got involved…

It’s hard to thank your auto mechanic who turned a $600 estimate into a $3000 bill. It’s hard to be grateful to God on days you’re not sure there is one. It’s hard to be thankful for a day that was complete and total shit.

It is incredibly difficult to be truly grateful when you just don’t feel it.

It’s easy to be thankful for good things, on good days. I was fortunate enough to visit my beautiful niece in Las Vegas and, while there, was invited to see U2 play at the Sphere with some of my favorite life-long friends. A true win-win.

It was an incredible, all-senses-firing concert experience. What resonated with me the most was at the end of the concert, under the dome of thunderous applause, lead singer Bono said,

“Thank you – thank you – thank you. Thank you – thank you – thank you! Thank you.

Thank you for giving us a great life.“

Bono

In that moment, I felt this wave of emotion. In my father’s last letter to his friends before he died, he wrote,

Thank you. Thank you for showing up again and again for our relationship. Remember me in your prayers, as I will remember you…

Ch. Camp

How would our life – our interactions – our relationships change if we said “Thank You” every single day? How would our marriages change if, at the end of every long and arduous day, we said to the person lying next to us, “Thank you. Thank you for this great life.

What would happen?

What would happen if, at the end of each business day, we said to our employees – either in person to the handful we pass on the way out the door or via email to the thousands under our watch, “Thank you for giving me your very best. Thank you for today.” 

What would happen?

What would happen if, as we’re throwing in laundry and cooking dinner and fixing the broken bike and answering the phone and all the hectic things in life we paused and said to our children, “Thank you – thank you for being exactly who you are. I am thankful for you.”

What would happen?

What would happen if, before we get out of bed in the morning, we thank God for His grace and peace and hand on our lives. What would happen if, before we fall asleep at night, we thank God for his grace and peace and hand on our lives – bookending the day by communicating with the Creator of the Universe – even if you’re still curious if there is one.

What would happen?

What would happen if, instead of saying “I’m sorry” 10,000 times a day – (even when it’s not our fault or we use it as a defense mechanism – ladies I’m looking at you) we said, “Thank You”? ”Thank you for pointing out that mistake.” “Thank you for taking the time to correct me on that.” “Thank you for reminding me that my thighs are starting to dimple.” “Thank you for showing me that the slightly toasted pine nuts are indeed burned beyond recognition.” Ok I took that a tad too far….

What would happen if we paused at the end of every single day and truly allowed ourselves to be washed with gratitude?

What would happen?

Yesterday my twelve year old one-hit-wonder and I were walking in the beautiful Florida sun. While I saw a warm glow of the afternoon sun, she saw as way too hot and bright for winter. She wanted to see snow and rain and sleet and anything but perpetual sun. (If you’re a parent – especially the mom of a teen or preteen – I see you. Solidarity, sister.)

We are all guilty of wanting what we don’t have. When we’re tall we want to be petite. When we’re heavy we want to be thin. When we’re sick we want to be well. When we’re old we want to be young. When we’re eating leftovers we want to be out at a steakhouse. What would happen if we practiced being genuinely thankful for the leftovers?

What would happen?

Men, it seems, struggle the most with the practice of thankfulness. It’s not a lack of being grateful but an unwillingness to be vulnerable.

Research suggests that men—and boys—may have the most to gain by trying to increase the amount of gratitude they feel and express. How did we come to equate gratefulness with weakness?

Business marketing exec Chris Rand wrote, “Some say that if we show gratitude, we’re giving power away to the other party, and that’s to be avoided. Also, if we’re too liberal with our gratitude, others might believe they could have earned it for less. I disagree; in fact, I think gratitude is an underused tool in business.” (1)

The word gratitude, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School, is “derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.

Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude). Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone’s gratitude, it’s a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.” (2)

Wendy Berry Mendes (University of California, social and biological psychologist) states that people higher in gratitude have lower resting blood pressure and better cholesterol. “At a biological level, we find that people who are higher in gratitude have lower resting blood pressure. When we expose them to a stressor, they also respond with lower blood pressure responses… Higher levels of gratitude are related to higher good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.” (3)

So, maybe we can achieve those big resolutions to lose weight, tone up, live a healthier, happier life just by saying,

“Thank You. Thank you. Thank you! Thank you for a wonderful life.”

I am thankful we can share the ups and downs of this life together – you and me – and that we can Run to Win.