Brené Brown wrote a post on “TGIF”: “Trust Gratitude Inspiration Friday.” In the intro, she writes:

I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, and inspiration. …

I’ve really missed TGIF. Why is it that when we get busy (even when it’s good busy), the first thing to go is the one thing we need the most: gratitude.

I know exactly what she’s talking about. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t made time to show gratitude to the people I don’t see as often as I’d like to. (The people I see regularly, though, I try to thank and hug as much as possible. I love hugs. I hope the people I hug love them, too.)

I decided to comment on her post and add my “TGIF.” Turns out, it was quite longer than expected. Maybe a little verbose. You be the judge – here it is in its entirety:

Brené, your talk at TEDxHouston was truly inspiring. I wish they’d passed out boxes of Kleenex beforehand, because I was moved to tears by your words, experiences and insight…and all the sniffles around me proved I wasn’t alone. Although it’s Sunday now, I’d like to add my TGIF: After years of second-guessing myself, I now trust my own judgment. Every time I’ve doubted my first instinct, it has kicked me in the ass. I’ve finally decided to make it stop by starting to listen to it. I trust my own experiences, observations and inquiry to inform me, rather than gulping down spin or gossip that others try to pass off as “truth.” I trust that I’ll be honest with myself, especially when I’m wrong. And I trust myself to never let the bastards get me down.

I’m grateful for you, Tim, Kara, Javier, the entire TEDxHouston team, and all members of our wonderful community who are proactively working on ways to celebrate and support all that’s creative, insightful, and positive. With so many challenges and setbacks facing us every day, it’s incredible that there are people who refuse to let anything negative get in their way or get them down. I’m honored to consider you all friends. You inspire me. Which leads me to…

I’m inspired by all my loved ones: the friends I was born with (my parents, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.), and the family I’ve met along the path of my life. I’m truly blessed to continue to meet and maintain wonderful relationships with people who believe in sharing and collaborating and supporting and enjoying all that life brings our way. I wish this on everyone. We can’t take everything with us, but all that love and support, it travels everywhere with you, whether you like it or not…as long as you share it.

…So that’s the “TGI.” As for the “F,” I think we should dub that “Freeday” – commit to freeing yourself from something. For my Freeday, I commit to freeing myself from petty distractions – like socks all over the floor, or other people’s negativity – because they keep me from enjoying the big things in life, like love and laughter. I don’t know how successful I’ll be at completely eliminating those distractions from my view, but I trust that I’ll find a way. I’m sure that the key lies in replacement therapy: turning every distraction into an opportunity to practice more love and laughter. I’ll let you know how it goes! Thank you so much for sharing this post with us. I can’t wait to see what you write next! Warm regards and tremendous hugs, Grace

*Here’s Brené’s @TEDxHouston talk:

Brené Brown at TEDxHouston
 

Please visit her here and let her know your TGIF!