Gratitude in Practice
Thank you for being part of our gratitude journey as we close out another very different kind of year and pave a new path into 2022. Tune in each week as we add new challenges.
- Week 1: Send a Thank You Note
- Week 2: Tune Into Your Thankfulness
- Week 3: Take the Grateful Organizations Quiz
- Weel 4: Reflect and Set-up 2022 with Gratitude
Week 1 - Thank You Messages
Action: Send a thank you note to a colleague, mentor, friend, or all, who have helped, supported, or encouraged you this year.
Gratitude is a powerful thing!
It has the power to turn a routine workday into an inspiring event. On a larger scale, gratitude can be transformative to our lives, relationships, and work environments. When gratitude goes beyond just saying 'thank you' and becomes part of company culture, it makes for a better working environment - one that can benefit from higher employee retention, a stronger sense of community, and increased engagement. Which is all just the tip of the iceberg.
It takes very little effort to get the momentum going. Just step forward and start the practice.
Below is Waldron COO, Kim Bohr's kick-start to the practice today:
Dear Waldron Colleagues,
Oh, what a year it has been. The promise of constant change and evolution has indeed been delivered. I know it hasn’t been easy. And through it all, you’ve remained committed to our purpose-driven work, giving the best of what you can every day. I’ve witnessed a deepening of your resilience, patience, empathy, and nimbleness with one another and those we serve. I am in awe of what you have achieved with the challenges this year has presented. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
With gratitude,
~Kim
We would love to hear how you are putting this action into practice. Leave us a comment down below!
Back to TopWeek 2 - Tuning To Thankfulness
Action: Subscribe and listen to a podcast or two to strengthen your gratitude practice.
It can be difficult to be mindful of what we are grateful for in the day-to-day of our business lives. One of the best ways to maintain gratitude is through listening to podcasts on gratitude, mindfulness, and happiness or joy. We've compiled five podcasts that will help strengthen your gratitude practice so you can continue being thankful for who you are, what you have, and what you can give to the world around you! Check them out on your favorite podcast application (eg. Spotify, Apple Music, Google Podcasts, etc.).
- Wake Up with Gratitude: This podcast seeks to both inspire and educate on practicing gratitude each day. Host Julie Boyer interviews an amazing array of guests who have struggled and overcome on their own journeys.
- The Gratitude Podcast: Another great podcast created to help you feel grateful more often and live a happier life.
- Happier with Gretchen Rubin: Author of The Happiness Project, Inner Calm, and a host of other books on the topic of happiness. Rubin starts from a belief that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to happiness and helps listeners explore their own path. One path is exploring your own gratitude hacks.
- The Science of Happiness: Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner, you will find research-tested strategies that you can put into practice immediately. Try episode 105 for a dip into Why We Give Thanks.
- Good Life Project (GLP): It is about, as they say, "living a fully-engaged, fiercely-connected, and purpose-drenched life." They have a very recent episode On Gratitude featuring Anne Lamott, Janice Kaplan, and Jonathan Fields.
Week 3 - Do You Have A Grateful Organization?
Action: Take the Grateful Organizations Quiz. (Here!)
You might not know the answer to the above question until you and your colleagues take this quiz. Research suggests that gratitude boosts morale and productivity in organizations—yet people usually don't express gratitude to or within their organization. In fact, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than anyplace else. This quiz measures the level of gratitude in an organization by asking questions like "How often do your employees thank each other?" and "Does your company hold celebrations for achievements?"
Once you have your answer, the next step is to set an action plan to improve it and measure it again, periodically, on a path to being a more grateful organization.
Week 4 - Reflection and The Future
In the blink of an eye, here we are again—the end of another memorable year filled with unexpected twists and turns. If you're feeling like many people we talk with daily, the desire to slow down and be present consistently has seemed like a luxury, when in reality it's a necessity just out of reach. As this year winds down, it's important that we individually and collectively reconcile the journey we've been on to truly achieve a deep level of gratitude for all that has come our way and to make space for what's next.
The following reflective exercise, from our COO Kim Bohr, is a great way to reconcile your 2021 professional journey and prepare yourself for a hopeful 2022.
Action: Step 1: Pause, Write & Reflect
Answer this question: Where has my 2021 professional journey taken me? What were some of the challenges I faced? What doors opened for me, unexpected or otherwise? How have I become a stronger person or leader from this year?
- Set a 5-minute timer.
- Write without overthinking.
- Include both positive and negative experiences.
- Allow your list to take shape.
- At the end of this initial timeframe, if you feel there is more to record, add 5-minutes.
Action: Step 2: What will you take forward into 2022?
As you reflect on the list you've created in step 1, take note of the following:
- What isn't serving me well? Strike what you must let go of to get the results you say you want and deserve to have in 2022.
- What will I carry forward into 2022? Circle those items you want to take with you into 2022, as they will help you get the results you say you want and deserve to have.
Action: Step 3: Designing Your Path Forward
With the work completed in steps 1 and 2, ask yourself the following:
Where Am I Going?
- Set a 15-minute timer as a starting point.
- Bring over the circled items from step 2.
- Which of these items can you draw from to build your resiliency, empathy, and gratitude?
- Are there specific items that will strengthen your physical and mental wellbeing?
- What action will you take to apply what you've identified to colleagues, employees, team and family? Remember to set reasonable timelines to fulfill your intentions.
We hope these reflective exercises have provided some clarity on where to go next in 2022, both professionally and personally! When it comes to the professional development of yourself, your team, or your organization, let us know where we can collaborate to bring forth the transformation or improvement you seek!
Wishing you a year filled with gratitude ahead!