Epiphanies
- What, from previous sessions, has come back around to speak to you?
- Which of the homework exercises have had an unexpected impact on your outlook?
- Where is this path leading you?
Permissions
- You are invited to engage at whatever distance feels right today
- You are not required to speak, share, or explain anything
- Noticing is enough — meaning can come later
- Silence, confusion, and resistance are valid participation
- Take what is useful and leave the rest
- The Questions for Discernment and Homework are optional and meant to serve you, not pressure you. Do as much or as little as feels right.
Video Presentations
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful
https://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude
Questions for Discernment
- For what are you grateful? …for the world in general? …at this time in your life? …in this place, right now?
- What is one small way you could practice gratitude tomorrow that feels authentic and grounded in your reality?
Homework Exercises
- Keep a journal each day of the hardest challenges that you faced in that day. Write about the events. Write about how you handled it in the moment. Write about what you might learn from that challenge.
- Identify a signal (a place, time, or breath) that reminds you to pause and notice something you appreciate.
- Give someone close to you the power to be your ‘gratefulness alarm’. When that person sees that you are overly stressed or filled with anxiety, give them permission to remind you to “stop, look, go”. When that person sounds the alarm, commit yourself to treating it seriously and immediately reflect upon those things for which you are grateful.
Side Trails
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_edmondson_how_to_turn_a_group_of_strangers_into_a_team