Gratitude

There is no better way to settle into a state of joy and appreciation than to practice gratitude. Group cohesion and bonding can be fostered much more easily when the group participants are all coming together in this higher mindset. With a very short activity, you can very easily create virtual community.

Ask you participants to write down (or type up) a list of 10 things they are grateful for in the moment. Emphasize that these don't have to be major things. Often coming up with the first is the hardest, but once you open the gate to gratitude, the feelings start pouring out. Give your participants a few minutes to create their list of 10. If people start finishing early, invite them to keep coming up with more. This can almost be done as a stream of consciousness exercise.

After the activity is complete, if you feel comfortable doing so, ask your participants to share one or two things that came to them. This might not be a good time to ask everyone to participate (although that's completely up to you). If they are reluctant to share, it often helps to begin by sharing yourself. "Today I am grateful the sun came out". Let there be a pause between each sharing so that the class can really hear each other and connect.

Often, by realizing how many wonderful things are already in our lives, we appreciate what we already have and learn to feel fulfilled without wanting more. If you use this community building tool, please let me know how it works for you. Enjoy!