Today we’d like to introduce you to Asal Dean (Azizoddin).
Thanks for sharing your story with us Asal. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
It was one evening in November of 2016 after a gym class where I found myself sitting in my car and thinking to myself, “Wow, I’m pretty unhappy.” What was ironic about this moment is that on paper—my life looked perfect.
I was living in the Los Angeles lifestyle I dreamed of. I had an awesome job as an oncology pharmacist, I lived in a prime location, I walked around with the cute puppy, I drove the cool car, I enjoyed fine dining, I worked out daily, I socialized with like-minded people, and I was surrounded by my loving family. Yet with all of that, I would come home feeling unfulfilled and empty. After all the years of hard work, I felt dumbfounded, because I did not understand why I was feeling like this. A mentor of mine suggested I start writing my moments of Gratitude every evening before going to bed. I took her advice, and my life changed.
My daily gratitude practice consisted of turning on a candle followed by giving myself two minutes every evening before bed, and writing what I was grateful for about that particular day. A few months into this practice, I realized the majority of my moments were about the interactions I had with the cancer patients as a pharmacist at the hematology/oncology clinic.
They continued to teach me that one of the most important aspects of life is the relationships and interactions we humans have with other people in this world. Being a kind human being, who shows appreciation and shares gratitude with others is one of the most heartwarming experiences someone can have. The kindness and gratitude I witness patients share on a daily basis inspires me to be better and more whole.
I am the possibility of kindness, leadership, positivity, and inspiration. I soon realized from this 2-minute daily practice of writing what I am grateful for that my true passion in life is to teach and inspire other people to share their gratitude and kindness with others. These cancer patients were and continue to be my biggest teachers in life, and I want to pay it forward.
I thought to myself, how can I encourage people to share more gratitude and kindness?
I randomly had a burst of inspiration when I was at a local coffee shop (Coffee Commissary in Burbank to be exact); and with brown kraft paper, a pen and scissors, I created what is called the Gratitudegrams. Gratitudegrams are hand-sized tokens of appreciation I designed and produced to encourage people to spread their gratitude and kindness with other people.
How it works:
1. Grab a Gratitudegram and write what you’re thankful for about a person
2. Give it with one or more blank Gratitudegrams to that person (so they can pay it forward to someone else)
3. Genuinely smile and say thank you
4. Generously repeat
The goal is to spread gratitude and kindness among people. I believe we need more of this positive energy among people and all it takes is one person to positively affect someone else.
This idea was solid, and I felt 100% confident to share my creation. I gave sixty-five hand-written Gratitudegrams to my friends, family, and random people I would come across and the positive responses I received were unexpected and supportive. The general idea that was vocalized to me was, “we need more of this in the world,” and so I continued on the adventure of spreading and growing this passion project.
The first batch of Gratitudegrams was printed in Santa Monica, and the excitement I felt holding these samples was unexplainable. I was looking at a tool that could bring people together, that could spread positivity with a simple passing of paper. I began to share these Gratitudegrams with everyone and anyone I came across. I wanted to take this passion project to another level, and there the Gratitudegram Corporation was established in 2018.
Approximately a year into bringing Gratitudegrams to Los Angeles, I created the Growing Gratitude Movement. This movement is focused on involving people to share their gratitude and kindness with others on this planet. The movement is currently divided into three parts, which includes: Gratitudegrams, the Attitude of Gratitude Workshop, and public speaking engagements to share my story and inspire people.
What’s most exciting about this movement is the partnership formed with a non-profit organization Bolster & Bridge—The Foundation. Bolster & Bridge supports cancer patients by providing programs to help address emotional, psychological and physical challenges cancer patients have during and post chemotherapy treatment and to improve their quality of life. They use gentle yoga therapy poses and breathing/mindfulness meditation to promote a better sense of well-being for these individuals.
I made the commitment to donate an equal number of Gratitudegrams, purchased by every consumer, to Bolster & Bridge The Foundation. Bolster & Bridge gives the donated Gratitudegrams to the patients they serve. Thus, every person who purchases Gratitudegrams is automatically paying it forward by providing Gratitudegrams for cancer patients to use and share with their friends, family, doctors, nurses, etc. Gratitude is growing!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road, but my positive outlook and unwavering commitment to spread gratitude and kindness keeps me focused on this mission to inspire people and make a positive impact in the community. The countless experiences I created by sharing my gratitude with people around me through the use of Gratitudegrams and seeing the priceless expressions and smiles on their faces is the fuel that keeps me going. It brings me happiness and a sense of purpose that I can connect with anyone and draw a smile on that person’s face by simply sharing what I am grateful for about that person with a Gratitudegram.
Copyright instance have been my biggest challenge to date. Initially, it was a constant concern, but now the idea of people copying this concept excites me. People might think I’m crazy for being happy to know others are copying the idea. I am living in the possibility of creation, inspiration, and leadership—if people are sharing their gratitude and kindness through another “piece of paper” similar to a Gratitudegram, well then I’ve done my job on this earth.
My story is my own. No one can take that away from me, and I am still living in the realm of excitement to share my story and to inspire people to influence their industries through spreading gratitude and kindness.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Gratitudegram – what should we know?
Gratitudegrams is a corporation that focuses on bringing inspiration to the table. Our work is used to connect people through tapping into a mindset of gratitude. Living in Los Angeles can be challenging where life can focus around a “go, go, go” mentality for many people… myself included. The work I provide is to give people perspective and to pause for a minute, hopefully, to realize the gift of living.
Our lives are bountiful, and sometimes we forget this. Life isn’t easy,—we all have our dose of challenges and tough times, yet we shouldn’t forget that it’s part of the journey called Life. This past year, the focus of the company is on public speaking engagements and leading the Attitude of Gratitude workshops. Through public speaking, I share my story working with cancer patients and how they are my biggest teachers and the most important lesson I have learned—to be kind and grateful for the people in my life.
Attitude of Gratitude, the workshop, was established to help people “unplug,” practice gratitude and connect with other people in a safe and comfortable environment. The workshop starts with a breathing exercise, followed by writing activities focusing on being grateful (writing topics are constantly changing), participants having an opportunity to share with the group, and ending with a Gratitudegram exercise.
I think what sets this company apart from others is that anyone and everyone can use Gratitudegrams to be kind and share gratitude. Gratitudegrams are sold online for anyone to purchase and share their gratitude with other people. People share these tokens of appreciation with co-workers, friends, family and even the barista at a local coffee shop. Anyone and everyone can practice writing lists of what one is grateful for, and the workshops create a space for people to do this peacefully.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
The proudest moment I’ve had so far is to see groups of people come together, smiling, laughing, hugging, connecting and most importantly inspiring one another during the workshops. It fills my heart with joy to see people happy and surprised by one another when they share their moments of gratitude and Gratitudegrams with one another. I live for these moments, and I am so excited to lead more of these workshops and public speaking events to spread gratitude and kindness throughout Los Angeles.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The characteristic I feel is most important to my success is to be genuine, to be myself. This work involves sharing who I am and simply being a messenger to highlight the importance of the invaluable lessons I’ve learned from working with people who are battling cancer and fighting for life.
I truly care about the well being of people, and I am committed to positively impact the community. To be a kind, caring human is one of the most important values I carry with me on a daily basis. As I had mentioned before, cancer patients taught me the importance to be a kind person, be grateful to live and share one’s gratitude with others.
Keeping it “real” gives me the opportunity to genuinely connect with people and spark inspiration in others to spread their kindness and gratitude.
Pricing:
- • Packet of 50 Gratitudegrams: $19.50
- • Packet of 25 Gratitudegrams: $12.50
- • Starter Pack of Gratitudegrams: $10
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegratitudegrams.com
- Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thegratitudegrams/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thegratitudegrams-196824537770259/
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