08:26, 02 July 2024
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
For anyone that has ever gone on a self-help journey, you may have come across the power of manifestation and talking things into existence, but have you thought about doing the same for things you appreciate?
Well content creator, David or Today.IAm.Grateful as he is known online, is using his platform of over 300,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram to spread positivity to others.
@today.iam.grateful Today I am grateful for salt! Anyone else add salt to almost everything?! #grateful #gratitude #gratitudejournal #todayiamgrateful #thankfulfor #salt #gratitudepractice ♬ original sound - today.iam.grateful
Some of David’s content has amassed millions of views. When asked about this experience, he said: “I was completely shocked by my first viral videos on both TikTok and Youtube. But every week, I receive personal messages from people expressing how much my videos mean to them, and how much they have helped them in their own lives. It's really humbling to me. I've discovered that there are thousands of people around the world who are in the same place I was a year ago, and a message of simple gratitude is what they've been needing.”
David started his TikTok account June 30, 2023 (happy one year anniversary!), when he was going through a rough patch. In an interview, he told Smiley News, “I started my social media journey in the midst of a difficult time in my life. I am normally a positive and optimistic person.
“At the beginning of last year, I unexpectedly began dealing with controlling anxiety. The anxiety attached to my naturally analytical nature, and I became negative and critical. I lost a lot of what I would consider my "natural skills" during that time of mental health struggle as it affected every area of my life.”, he continued.
In 2023, David started a gratitude journal, but faced challenges in maintaining consistency. To address this, he transitioned his written journal into video format and shared his entries on TikTok, leveraging the platform to sustain his commitment. He said: “After about 2 weeks of consistently posting something I am grateful for, I began to see a shift in my mind. Intentional gratitude was working! I began to notice that my mind would naturally start thinking of new things to be grateful for, instead of the intentional work it had been taking to focus on positive things!
“After a number of months, I had begun to heal, and my mental health was much improved. I was tempted to stop the gratitude journal, but I had such obvious positive results from it, that I decided to keep it going!”
From salt to deodorant to water bottles, David shares the real things he is thankful for no matter if they are silly or simple things we may take for granted. He practises what he has dubbed "gratitude and grounding" which is recognising everything in your physical vicinity. David explained that he found “nearly everything around me is something I am grateful for, and I can immediately reorient my brain to gratitude and thankfulness.”
David benefited heavily from keeping up with daily entries and sharing what he was grateful for with his growing audience. Soon after, he had his first viral video in September 2023 which grew his followers drastically. In disbelief by the sudden growth in his platform, David began to receive messages from people expressing how much his videos meant to them and how he was also helping with their own mental struggles.
With no plans of stopping, David encourages others to voice their gratitude: “Ideally, I don't want people to just rely on my gratitude videos. The key is in retraining one's own mind to focus on the good. I have a number of followers who comment their own things they are grateful for in my video comments each day, and I love it! I love seeing what other people are grateful for as well. That's what it's all about.”
Thankfully, You can find David’s content on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, if you ever want to follow his lead on voicing your gratitude.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Random Acts. This is a non-profit organisation based in the US to inspire others to do acts of kindness around the world, both big and small. Learn more here.
The Mindfulness Project. This is a London-based charity and platform for sharing mindfulness with as many people as possible affected by mental illness through local groups and services. Find out more here.
Active Minds. This nonprofit organisation is based in the US and is dedicated to mental health, especially among young adults, focusing on interaction. Support them here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Good Health and Wellbeing.
