The “thanks – giving” part of Thanksgiving often gets overshadowed by stress. Do you really have to make Paleo-approved sides for your cousin? How do you make sure no one brings up the election? Will Waze actually save you from getting a speeding ticket? Exactly how early can you duck out of the office on Wednesday?
And while our over-scheduled, always-on, digital lives can make it hard to slow down and give thanks (more tryptophan, perhaps?), there are a handful of Southern startups launching solutions to bring more positivity and gratitude into our daily routines. So if you’re searching for a “glass half-full” attitude this holiday season, give these guys a try…and just remember: no politics, no religion.
- Austin-based Love On Revolution is creating a viral movement to tracks the ripple effect of paying it forward. The platform allows you to track the inspiring stories and connections that your acts of kindness create around the world. Users purchase a trackable Love On wristband to pass out as a thank you for acts of kindness. The receiver uploads the story of how they were “loved on,” and then passes the band onto someone who shows them kindness….and on it goes.
- Based in Virginia Beach, Upliftly is an online community of people who share the good in the world in an effort to combat negativity on social media. The platform gives users a space to share good news and uplifting videos and photos with their followers.
- Dallas-based Gratitude Point is a social network that enables users to find help on tasks and offer Gratitude Rewards in exchange. Once a task is complete, users send a thank-you note with the option to attach monetary Gratitude Points. Every thank-you note automatically becomes part of both the sender and receiver’s online Gratitude Journal.
- Located in Miami Beach, YouCloud is a free mobile app that allows users to share social gratitude, empathy, and kindness with their contacts. Users send simple messages of appreciation – either openly or anonymously – to honor and acknowledge friends, co-workers, and family.
- Augusta, Georgia-based Upliff is an online platform for sharing positive content. Content creators known as Upliffers produce motivational content for subscribers, ranging from personal stories to positive global news. The idea was developed at Startup Weekend in Columbia, SC and Upliff officially launched as a company earlier this year.
- Orlando-based PositiveTALK is a personal development app that measures and improves online positivity for people, companies, and brands on social networks. PositiveTALK calculates a “PositiveTALK Score” for individuals and brands on social media, providing online tools, content, and analytics to assess and improve their positivity and grow the positivity of their online followers.
How will you practice gratitude this Thanksgiving? Are there other Southern positivity startups we should know about? Let us know in the comments!
