Thankful Newsletter

Some of you asked me before if there was a way to follow the thanks via email... Now there is, I've just launched the Thankful Newsletter! 

You might want to sign up if you're interested in my updates but no other existing way of following this blog is convinient for you, or if you want to stay up to date with thankful happenings on various social media - after all, the newsletter is made to feature a summary of the most appreciated content from both the blog and the Facebook page. Or maybe you just like recieving newsletters. 

You can view The 'Thank You' Project's very first newsletter HERE, and if you want to subscribe, you can do so by simply clicking HERE, or by clicking the envelope icon on top right of the blog's sidebar. Either way, thank you and do let me know what you think!

P.S. Some of you have already received a copy of my Thankful Newsletter and have been automatically subcribed to it. If you're one of these people, you should know that it happened because you used The 'Thank You' Project's official email address to contact me. So please, check your inboxes, take a look at the newsletter and unsubscribe if you wish!

All The Things to Be Thankful For

All the simple things in life we are sometimes so quick to forget, all the things to be thankful for - all in this beautifully told short video story:

"Once upon a time in a country far far away a boy lived, very different from all the others. His name was Eftichis. Everything ran smoothly in his life until one day, many many years ago an incident made him see life from a different perspective. And suddenly, a big secret was revealed."


Small Pleasures by Constantin Pilavios

Listen: My Interview With Australian Radio FM99.3

Took me some time, but I think I've found a really good way to upload my Breakfast In Bed radio show interview and it is via YourListen! I kind of like it how their color scheme is so in line with that of North Shore's FM99.3, however, this is not why I chose them and the color coordination wasn't on purpose!.. Just a little extra something to smile about it.

Here's the interview, please enjoy if you listen and don't hold back sharing your feedback! I believe I can handle some constructive critisism if needed, ha!..

P.S. I have permission from Breakfast In Bed radio show's host to upload and distribute the above recording via my blog. All rights reserved.

How To Write Thank You Notes: 6 Tips from Author Cat Wagman

I’ve just recently had the pleasure of personally talking to Cat Wagman about her book “Why… THANK YOU!”, where she uses an example of the thank-you note as a “teaching vehicle” to help kids and grown-ups alike discover and develop their writing voices. When I asked Mrs. Wagman what were her personal feelings about thank you notes, this is what she had to say:

“I have always felt that writing thank-you notes is a simple way to express gratitude and connect one-on-one on a personal level. I also believe that your handwriting is an extension of your personality and style, and as you read a personalized, handwritten note, you hear the writer's voice in your mind. This is particular true of letters and notes from my late relatives, something that email or texting can never do.”

All so very true, isn't it? Cat has also kindly agreed to share some of her thankful writing tips to consider before writing a thank you note, here they are:

1. Think of a thank-you note as an enjoyable mini-adventure in creative writing, not as an etiquette chore; 
2. All you need is 3-5 sentences, and… 
3. … it's okay to use your imagination and sense of humor; 
4. If you have received a lot of gifts, write a short description on the back of the card that came with the gift, along with any notes about gift giver's address, relationship to you, etc.; 
5. Motivational tip: Can't use the gift until the note is written! 
6. Draw on your five senses for adjectives and other items, such as how the gift will be used, etc., to build a foundation of facts, before writing your note.

My personal favorite tip is the tip number 5! This is sure to work for bigger procrastinators out there, something of which I am occasionally guilty too!..

New Year, New Undertaking: Chairs

It's no secret between you and I that I have a thing for chairs. I've expressed thanks for them in 2009 and in 2010, and the start of 2011 marks my newest chair undertaking - I am now a contributor at the awesome ChairBlog!

You've been very supportive and tolerative of my passion and its expression on this blog and I really do appreciate that. Now that I'm taking it to a new level, I hope not to bother you with chairs here and hope to see you at the ChairBlog - you can take a look at my very first chair contribution here. Come tell me what you think!..

Chairs,

Julia

International Thank You Day

Each year January 11th is marked as International Thank You Day and it being a slightly magical 1/11/11 today makes it even cooler! The origin of the holiday seems to be unknown and many believe it was artificially created by some clever greeting cards company to help generate more sales, but it doesn't really make the concept less appealing, does it?

All that is expected of you to participate in the International Thank You Day celebration is to show your appreciation to the people who make your life beautiful. A reason good enough to pen a thank you note to someone special, or even to yourself!

My life has just recently been majorily beautified by my first ever radio appearance and even more so since I knew I had my friends in gratitude (these would be you!) to share this amazing experience with, so I want to express my most sincere thanks to all those who wished me well and tuned in to listen to the show! I must admit I was slightly nervous but these 3 hours that the show lasted were some of the most beautiful hours of my life. 

I also know that some of you sent kind words of feedback to Karen, the show's host and my amazing interviewer, and even though I don't know who exactly did it, I want to thank you for that!..

UPDATE: Read on for The 'Secret' Behind International Thank You Days

Images via

Radio Show Interview!

I'm super thankful and excited to announce that I've been honored to be interviewed by an Australian radio station North Shore's FM99.3! 

This coming weekend the Breakfast In Bed program's theme is gratitude and their schedule is chock-full of great segments on the topic so it's definately worth getting up earlier for! Here below is the full schedule, which you can also take a look at on their website:

If you're located in Australia tune in to FM99.3 this Sunday at 9:30 am (Sydney time) to hear me speak on The 'Thank You' Project and the upcoming thankful book. 

If you're located elsewhere use a world time zone converter to figure out what time it's going to be in your city and country when it's 9:30 am in Sydney, so you can listen to my interview ONLINE, following this link. 

I am totally curious to hear what I sound like on the radio and totally curious to hear your thoughts on it too, so don't be shy to stop by and share your feedback once it's all done! Big thanks to Karen of Breakfast In Bed for making it happen, and I'll "see" you all on Sunday!

P.S. To ensure the online webstreaming works for you, it is advised to try it out or download the needed software beforehand.

UPDATE: Click here to listen to the record of my interview!

What a Year of Gratitude Did to Me: Raw Facts, Pt. 2

As if the 6 amazing things my 365 thanks did to me and which I've already mentioned in the What a Year of Gratitude Did to Me, Pt. 1 post were not enough, here's the follow up to it with some more positive changes I observed happening in me over the course of a year:

1. It introduced me to my true and better self by showing me what some of my true values were - you can't possibly feel thankful for something often if you're not sincerely interested in it. 
2. By making me see just exactly why I appreciated the people in my life it showed me who my true friends were and it made me a better friend to them. 
3. I’m no longer worried about hearing “no”, because for every little “no” I hear I know I'll get so many exciting “yes’es”. It's like it gave me wings, this kind of a confidence boost, freedom to fly I was looking for elsewhere but have found within.
4. It made me stop noticing 'bad' weather by making me see the beauty in everything around me. You can now easily spot me walking through cold rain, strong wind or heavy snow conditions smiling, and this just doesn't sound like a portrait of me from a little over a year ago.

Talk about amazing transformations and the power of gratitude! Makes me wonder if these are all the changes that took place or if there's something else I didn't remember to include... 

Image via