Issue 33 | June 21st, 2022 
8&21
Welcome to your three-minute pause. 
This is your practice space.

 
This is your sign—send that message!
I love to write. So when I write, I'm determined—drafting and revising until the words are exactly where I want them. It can be a helpful skill. 
 
Or… an issue, if I withhold words until they're perfect.
 
I've drafted thank-you notes in my head that were never sent. When I do that, I'm thinking—I'll wait to write this down until I can make time to do it properly. 
 
Because, sure, a perfectly-worded handwritten note beats a quick “thank you” message. But—an imperfect “thank you” is better than a nonexistent one. 
I've started expressing immediate gratitude rather than perfect gratitude. Filling out the Google review while I'm still in the store, rather than waiting to write a better one. Sending the quick LinkedIn message of thanks as soon as someone's helped me with an introduction, rather than waiting until I can write a long email. Stopping to text a “thank you!” the moment I think of it, rather than marinating on the right words.
 
And—unsurprisingly—these quick notes bring a lot more joy than the long, almost-perfectly-worded drafts that only exist in my head. 
 
- Dr. Sarah Glova, Co-Editor of 8&21 and Recovering Perfectionist

 
 
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: 
It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” 
 
- William Faulkner

 
In his book Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman credits  meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein for giving him the concept of instantaneous generosity:
 
“Whenever a generous impulse arises in your mind – to give money, check in on a friend, send an email praising someone’s work – act on the impulse right away, rather than putting it off until later.
 
We tell ourselves we’ll return to it when our urgent work is out of the way, or we have enough spare time to do it really well; or that we ought first to spend a bit longer researching the best recipients for our charitable donations before making any, et cetera.
 
But the only donations that count are the ones you actually get round to making. And while your colleague might appreciate a nicely worded message of praise more than a hastily worked one, the latter is vastly preferable to what’s truly most likely to happen if you put it off, which is that you’ll never get round to sending that message.”
 
Excerpts pulled from the Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How To Use It

 
“Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.”
 
- Gertrude Stein

 
Simple—and still meaningful
When my son was young, we read a wonderful book called Raising Rufus. We loved it so much that we wrote a letter to the author, David Fulk. 
 
AND HE WROTE US BACK! This created for us such a lovely core memory–expressing our gratitude for his work and then being excited that the author responded.
Expressing gratitude for someone’s work really is as easy as an email or social media post. It makes my day when I get an email or a LinkedIn message from former students.  So maybe this is your sign—maybe it's a good time to reach out to someone and thank them.
 
- Dr. Sarah Egan Warren, Co-Editor of 8&21 and Children's Book Aficionado

 
“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.”
 
- Vietnamese proverb

 
More than just good vibes
 
“In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

- Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier, Harvard Health Publishing, 
  Harvard Medical School
 
 
“Gratitude makes us feel more gratitude. It is a positivity loop that increases this feeling over time.” 

- Steve Scott from Happier Human
 
 

 
“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
 
- Albert Schweitzer

 
Who's the next lucky recipient of your thanks?

 
Great job!
Way to take a pause and give 3 minutes to your practice of pursuing awesome 
by exploring this issue's theme. You rock!
 

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