Activity: Connected Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is always a fun holiday to celebrate, as well as a wonderful culturally built-in moment of reflection: what do we each have to be thankful in our lives?  This is such an important practice, and one I encourage you to build into your lives as often as possible, for a single, important reason - YOU WILL BE HAPPIER.  In fact, gratitude is one of the most consistent indicators of happiness, regardless of personal health, and across socioeconomic lines. 

With this in mind, I’d like to propose a short activity for all of us to try tomorrow.  As always - there’s no pressure, and this isn’t homework.  It’s just a fun, short thought experiment intended to embed your gratitude and magnify your joy.

It’s this simple: 

CONNECTED GRATITUDE

STEP 1:  Write a list of five people for whom you are grateful.  This could be a group of individuals, or a single person. It could be family member, spouse, friend, or colleague. The only criteria is that you are truly grateful for them, and how they have impacted your life. (PROTIP: Include yourself on this list!)

STEP 2: Write one (or more!) reason(s) you are grateful for each person listed above.  

I’ll get you started with a few examples…

I’m grateful to:

1. My Partner, for...

Cherishing my mind, body, and spiritBravely communicating where no man has communicated beforeInspiring me to push myself when it comes to growing my business

2. My Clients, for...

Doing the hard & satisfying work of personal growth, and inviting me to participate!The privilege of your vulnerability & courageHelping me create an independent, flexible life by practicing my passion! 

3. My Best Friends (you know who you are…), for...

Loving me through thick and thin, manLaughing with meKicking my ass when needed!

4. My Hilariously Modern Ladies Networking Group, for...

Creating a safe space where no question is too weird, silly or awkwardOffering massive support through the launch of Rowan Coaching!

BONUS ROUND! 

Write a letter (or social post) to one of the people/groups on your list, and either give or send it to them before the week is out.  Gratitude shared is happiness magnified!

Want to learn more?  

Here are some great articles on the connection between gratitude and happiness.  Happy learning!

Colleen Star Koch

Colleen is the founder of NeuroKind and a neurocoach for unconventional humans. She established NeuroKind (formerly Rowan Coaching) in 2015 with a two-part mission: (1) to bring ethical, executive-level, neuroscience-informed coaching to historically disenfranchised individuals, and (2) to facilitate human connection through applied neuroscience education that helps us understand how we all work.

Through her work, she aims to help shape an equitable world where the truth of our diversity is reflected in our power structures, where rights are inalienable, differences are valued and accommodated, and creativity, innovation and connection can flourish. She believes in a future where all humans are thriving, not just striving and surviving.

NeuroKind offers a variety of services, including Private (1:1) NeuroCoaching, Private, Corporate NeuroTraining, and (coming soon!) virtual, self-led growth labs through Unbecoming U. You can learn more about NeuroKind by exploring www.neurokind.com, or by joining Unbecoming You, a free, private coaching community on Facebook.

Prior to coaching, Colleen was a brand executive at a luxury branding agency in NYC. She’s worked with top corporations, entrepreneurs, executives, artists and entertainers in addition to providing extensive branding, communication, and fundraising expertise to the NYC criminal/social justice community. She began her coaching journey with an executive coaching capsule at NYU and completed her training at the Neuroleadership Institute.

Colleen currently lives in Coconut Creek (just north of Fort Lauderdale), Florida with her partner, young son, and two wily bulldogs. Her current hobbies include: improvised cross-stitching, learning ProCreate, fantasy and sci-fi everything (novels, in particular), digging into what makes people people (and brains brain), setting up her new home studio, and learning how to make Cuban coffee.

https://neurokind.com
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