Current e-Journal
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November 18, 2025
Dikyedarling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Gratitude as a Strength to Build Upon
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: A different look at gratitude
- Resources to Further Your Practice
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
A different look at gratitude
We all hear a lot about the power of gratitude in our personal lives. We are encouraged to have some form of gratitude practice, with the reminder that gratitude calms the brain and generates serotonin, that it improves relationships. And in places like Canada and the U.S., where Thanksgiving is actually a national holiday, that practice is institutionalized.
What we don't often talk about is the power of gratitude within social change.
Social change groups are so used to focusing on all that is not working. That is obvious with missions like hunger and poverty and substance abuse. But that “failure to thrive” messaging also creeps into arts and education organizations that focus on our potential for greatness. We talk about the problem of education. We lament having to justify why the arts are important.
Seeing everything through a problem lens is almost the opposite of gratitude.
All of that changes when we focus on what we are grateful for. Realizing that our gratitude list is actually a list of all the strengths we have to build upon, we begin to see that gratitude is where our power lies.
Try This
One of the three pillars upon which Catalytic Thinking rests is radical strength. Radical strength is all about realizing the assets and resources that we do have to build upon, rather than constantly lamenting what we do not have.
Those assets and resources are, in fact, sources of gratitude. That means that focusing on what we are grateful for is actually focusing us on our strengths.
So this week's exercise is simple. List what you are grateful for as a group seeking to create a more humane, loving, joyful world.
If it is helpful, use the asset grouping list at the core of asset-based resource development.
- People assets
- Stuff assets
- Mission assets
- Community assets
People assets are the people you know and the people they know. Who are you grateful for? If you find yourself thinking about groups, see if you can home in on individuals. For example, if you are grateful for your volunteers, is there a particular volunteer you are grateful for? What makes that person special? The more you focus on each individual for whom you are grateful, the more you will actually be acknowledging all their strengths. And the bonus is that gratitude enhances all those relationships!
Mission assets are about the work you do and the wisdom you hold. What have you learned? What mission wisdom proves itself over and over every day? What pieces of that are you grateful for? Again, the more you can focus on specifics, rather than a generic, “We’re grateful for our mission,” the more you will be acknowledging the strengths inherent in your mission.
Stuff assets are just that, the stuff you have. Computers, buildings, vehicles. What do you have that you rely upon every day, that you are grateful for? And again, be specific.
And then there are community assets - the people assets, the mission assets, and the stuff assets of everybody else in your community. What assets and resources do you share with others? What do they share with you? How many assets in the community make your work possible? What community assets are you grateful for?
Through that lens of gratitude, you will start to see all that you do have to build upon. Strength builds upon strength, and we are so used to seeing ourselves as weak and dependent. Seeing through the lens of gratitude, though, we see all that we do have to build upon. That image is energizing, as we begin generating ideas about how to activate all those wonderful gifts.
On the bulletin board in our office is a note that says, “When we’re feeling scarcity, the answer is gratitude." All those strengths and assets and resources for which you are grateful are the key to moving beyond scarcity, into enoughness and strength. That is why Radical Strength is a one of the three pillars that support the Catalytic Thinking framework.
Resources to Further Your Practice
- WATCH: What you appreciate appreciates. It’s not just new age woo woo; it’s brain science. And we are grateful for this short video introduction. Watch here…
- READ: A group of psychologists explored the scientific evidence from 64 clinical trials on the power of gratitude. The findings were overwhelming: Gratitude is a powerful healing tool. Read the study here…
- LEARN: What might a more strength-based approach to resource development look like? If you’re curious, click here…
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