The Results Are In — 28-Day Gratitude Challenge Complete ☑️

We, here at Halton Pardee, are committed to always showing up and giving our best selves to our clients. We’ve found that one of the best ways to do so is by taking time to reflect, be present, and connect with everyone we come into contact with — in and out of the office.

Starting on May 1^st of this year, our work family took on a 28-Day “Gratitude Challenge”. The objective was simple: each day, choose at least one task from the list and do it with heart. Continue for 28 consecutive days to complete the challenge. Those who complete the challenge would join together to celebrate their successes, newfound gratitude and outlooks.

Our Founder + CEO, Tami Halton Pardee, created the challenge because she believes we must love ourselves first “to then expand that love to others”. She shared the list of unique, thought-out opportunities for finding ways to discover gratitude within our selves and in the world around us. She emphasized that the goal was for each of us complete at least one of the challenges from the list each day for the 28 days that followed.

Each member of our team received their very own 5-Minute Gratitude Journal in which we were encouraged to spend 5 minutes each day writing. The idea is that this exercise will help us recognize all the things in our lives that we are grateful for — big and small. This daily routine has been shown to help people focus on the positive, become more mindful, and live with intention. With a simple structured format based on positive psychology research, those who write daily will start and end each day with gratitude. Side effects may include: increased happiness, better relationships, and becoming more optimistic?

We have a diverse team of people with different points of view and opinions; so, if writing in a journal each day wasn’t someone’s thing, there were plenty of other options to choose from. Check out the list below for the complete 28-Day Gratitude Challenge list:

Meditate

Practice focused, relaxing mediation for 5+ minutes.

Forgive someone who hurt you and forgive yourself

Life is too short to hold grudges. Forgive someone else and make sure to forgive yourself.

Extend a warm “hello” to 3 strangers

Extend a warm greeting to 3 strangers. Think about how this makes you feel and how good it makes others feel.

Hand-write a “thank you” note

A hand-written note is a direct line from your heart to the pen and to the other person.

Reconnect with an old friend

Our personal connections in life are everything. As all of our lives get busier, we should all make an effort to drop a line to an old friend.

Random act of kindness

Do an unexpected good deed for a stranger. Buy someone a tank of gas or coffee or assist an elderly person cross the street.

Dance your heart out

Dance like no one’s watching with your friends or even by yourself.

Give to someone less fortunate

From a simple “hello” to offering to buy someone food, helping those in need brings us closer together and feeds our souls.

Connect 2 people you think should meet

You know lots of people — spread the love! You never know what those connections could lead to.

Turn off the phone, put devices to bed

Take time away from the digital world by putting down your phone from 8 PM – 8 AM.

Pick up and throw away litter

Keeping our environment clean is important. Pick up trash when you see it and help clean the world.

Walk/Hike (20+ Minutes)

Go outside in your own neighborhood or up to the hills and let the sun shine on your face.

Tell someone you know why you love them

One-on-one or in a small group, each person share why they are grateful for each other.

The entire team was motivated to strive for balance and fulfillment in their lives so the focus on our clients can be as strong as possible. Our team completed the challenge and it was extremely well received. Practicing these things felt great and created even stronger bonds. Once it was all was done, we celebrated our new found happiness and gratitude by spending time with our work family and personal families with a fun evening of bowling. We all came together on last night at the newly renovated Bowlero in Mar Vista for dinner, bonding, and plenty of strikes!