Special Edition: Merry Christmas Plunge (It’s all about giving…)

Welcome to The Plunge! If this is your first time, we are SO GLAD you’ve joined us! We are on a quest to choose joy and make every day the BEST DAY EVER – and we love to welcome any and everyone to climb on into our adventure with us!

(If you’re brand new, jump on over to the Take the Plunge page to learn what we are all about!)

If you haven’t already, please enter your e-mail address to receive The Plunge directly to your inbox every Monday morning. It’s a great way to start your week with a fresh, brand new challenge!

This SPECIAL EDITION PLUNGE is all about giving, so get ready! Here we go…

Last August I read an article about a pay it forward phenomenon that happened at a local Starbucks in St. Petersburg, Florida. Someone decided to pay it forward by purchasing the person’s drink behind them.

This streak lasted 11 hours as over 350 people followed suit, paying for the next person in line. Apparently, something similar happened at a Connecticut Starbucks – and it lasted for several days.

Your choice to pay it forward could spark a movement that could change the lives of many people this week of Christmas! Holidays are not easy for everyone, so give a few dollars and see what happens!

It is my contention that people are longing to be kind – to do something for others. We often just don’t know what to do.

Well, that’s why I’m here! To challenge you each and every week to take the Plunge!

PLUNGE #1: Pay it forward by buying someone’s coffee at a drive-through or restaurant.

It is easy during the Christmas Season to focus on GETTING – I know as a kid I could hardly wait to receive the Christmas presents under the tree. And let’s be honest, we still get excited about gifts as adults.

But this week’s PLUNGE is all about GIVING.

I came across an interesting website dedicated to The Giving Pledge. It is a commitment by some of the wealthiest families and entrepreneurs of the world to give a majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Included in the list are Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Ted Turner.

The Tuesday following Black Friday has been designated #givingTuesday, a day dedicated to giving to organizations and charities in need – as well as just giving of yourself.

We don’t have to have a lot of money to be giving. There are lots of other ways to give.

About a year ago, I came up with a phrase to use with my students called THIRD PARTY COMPLIMENTS.

Third Party Compliments are essentially the opposite of gossip. You talk about people behind their backs…but in a good way. If you use social media such as Twitter or Instagram, you can use the hashtag #thirdpartycompliments when you’re posting compliments.

If you’re talking to someone, bring up a friend in conversation and give him/her a sincere compliment – and then hope it gets back to them!

When we gossip, we tell people “don’t say anything” or “don’t tell anyone I said something.” With third party compliments, we WANT the other person to find out!

Check out this video I made about third party compliments – and please share it!

Also, if you’d like me to “help” you with the third party compliments, please feel free to message me or e-mail me and I can post your compliment anonymously!

PLUNGE #2: Give as many third party compliments this week as possible! Gossip in a GOOD way!

The Holidays can often be lonely – or bring up sad memories of loved ones we’ve lost. It is easy to focus on what we’re missing instead of what we have.

Maybe you’re disappointed in a family member, maybe your marriage is a little rocky. Perhaps you’re struggling with anxiety or depression – maybe you’re feeling like giving up this Christmas.

When you focus on gratitude, it forces you to think about what you DO have instead of what you DON’T. One of my favorite bloggers, Ann Voskamp, talks about how gratitude can unexpectedly give you a new life.

If you visit the link above, there are countless articles about gratitude and the effect it can have on you.

Sometimes, thanks is simply recognizing that you can see, hear, taste, touch, smell. When we are struggling to give thanks, go back to the basics. There are a lot of basics to be thankful for.

Clean water.

A roof over your head.

More than one pair of shoes. (Shoes at ALL is nice)

Change in your pocket.

Check this out:

PLUNGE #3: Every day, make a list of at least 10 things you are giving thanks for. If you can, make a list of 100 things by the end of the week.

PLUNGE PLUS: Post the list of gratitude every single day this week on social media.

I hope this PLUNGE is special for you this holiday. The point is to realize just how fortunate you are – no matter how unfortunate you feel.

You have a choice. Choose joy. Look at the unfortunate circumstances in your life and try and learn, grow, change your heart.

I had to laugh. The other day my husband and I were painting my daughter’s room. I was complaining about how long and arduous the task was going to be.

You know what my husband told me? You guessed it.

CHOOSE JOY.

THE SPIRITUAL PLUNGE

A great book to pick up this Christmas (with the gift card your aunt or grandma gave you to Barnes and Noble or Amazon) is one of my favorite books – EVER. 🙂

It is a dare to live fully – and it connects gratitude to our Joy in Christ Jesus. I taught this book at a bible study last year and it really changed the way I look at gratitude.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in ALL circumstances. Whew. That isn’t easy. It isn’t easy when we’re faced with cancer, struggling with feeling fat, losing someone we love…

But when we have Christ, we have future joy. We can give thanks because ultimately, HE is the answer. We don’t have to figure it out or solve it. We just have to TRUST Him and allow Him to lead us.

We were created to live a life of gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and many other verses prove that. And when you look at what you CAN be thankful for instead of what you’re missing, your attitude changes.

When you CHOOSE JOY, you CHOOSE THANKFULNESS.

When you choose to be thankful, you can have