I’m starting a new feature every so often. The Do It! Challenge will be like a weekly challenge – a task for you guys to complete that will hopefully push you to new heights of style, wisdom, and friendship. Here’s how it works: Complete the Challenge. Send me evidence – it could be a digital photo, a screenshot, a video, a personal reaction essay, or anything that shows me what you guys did and how it affected you. Before I post the next Do It! Challenge, I’ll post a recap of some of my favorite submissions for everyone to read and discuss. Sound like fun? Of course it does!

So, here’s this week’s Do It! Challenge:

When’s the last time you wrote a thank-you note? I really love writing thank-you notes for two reasons. First, it’s a way for me to show my appreciation for something amazing that someone else has done for me–in a way that’s typically not expected at all. And second, I’m always striving to create a stronger sense of gratitude around me–thankfulness for little, meaningful things that otherwise would go unnoticed if I didn’t take the time to tune in to them.

So, I want you guys to think of someone that deserves thanks. Maybe you have a really dedicated friend who’s always the first to say, “OMG, that dress looks amazing on you!” and constantly brings you coffee and treats when you’re down. Maybe it’s a coworker that saved your ass in a meeting last week when you accidentally missed a deadline. Maybe you need to send a card to your dad that says, “Thanks for putting up with my shit!” (I send this same card every year to my dad on Father’s Day.) No matter who it is, think of a way you can thank them for what they do. Be creative; a thank-you note doesn’t actually have to be a handwritten letter. Make them a video. Write them a song. Bake them a cake.

But thank them. They deserve it.

Okay, kiddos. Send your entries to amandalee [at] amandalee [dot] org. I look forward to seeing all the great things you’ll come up with!

Related posts:

  1. Nine Ways to Write More
  2. Inspiration, or a Brief Note on Productivity: 11.17.2008