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In these times when so many people are feeling angry, how can you spark a chain reaction of kindness and gratitude?
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Creating a Chain Reaction of Gratitude
The
phrase “chain reaction” is so common, we rarely stop to think about
what it really means, and what it could mean for creating the future of
our world.
We know that a chain reaction is the cause-and-effect
that turns a snowball at the top of a hill into an avalanche as it
rolls downward.
Just like that snowball, we humans often
create emotional chain reactions. An argument with your kids at
breakfast can quickly turn into their being late to school and
forgetting their lunches, and your being late to work and feeling out
of sorts all morning.
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| What that means for you is simple:
Just as a single match can ignite a raging fire, we humans have the power to spark a chain reaction of kindness and gratitude.
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| Try this:
The
first step in this week’s practice will be familiar to many of you. And
while that step is powerful on its own, the rocket fuel comes from
Steps 2 and 3, where you will be creating conditions for your own chain
reaction of kindness and gratitude.
Step 1: Be Grateful
At the end of each day, find at least one thing for which you are grateful, and note that thing out loud.
There is something powerful in using your voice to say something vs. just thinking it. So say it out loud:
Today, I am grateful for ______________.
You might do this by yourself, as you head home from work. You might do it with family members around the dinner table.
There
are days when this feels easy, when those good things are obvious. Then
there are those days when it feels like the only thing you’re grateful
for is that the day is over. And that’s ok!
The practice is to
find those things, big and small, for which you are grateful, and to
say them out loud, to yourself or to others.
Step 2: What Caused That?
From there, ask yourself, “What led to that thing for which I’m grateful? What conditions created that result?”
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| If it weren’t for ____________, I wouldn’t have / feel / be the thing you’re grateful for .
Example: If it weren’t for the person letting me into traffic this morning, I would not have been on time for the meeting.
or
I was able to have / feel / be the thing you’re grateful for because _________ made that possible.
Example: I was able to be in a good mood all morning because we were all laughing at breakfast. |
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You
can stop here, seeing that one thing caused the next. Or you can dive
in, moving backwards to establish the whole chain of events. To do
that, simply ask the question over again, this time for the thing that
caused your result.
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| What
led to that person letting me into traffic? Was he just being kind? I
wonder what sort of morning he was having?” As you realize that getting
to the meeting on time was dependent on the small choices of so many
people, you will be seeing that chain reaction of kindness.
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| Step 3: Express Gratitude for All Those Causes and Effects
Once
you realize that the things for which you are grateful are the result
of many causes, you can express gratitude for each of the people who
contributed to your day.
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| “If
it weren’t for my husband feeling silly, we wouldn’t have been laughing
at breakfast. And he was feeling silly because he watched the YouTube
of that baby laughing before he came to breakfast. I’m so grateful for
the person who posted that video, making it possible for him to see it.
They must really love their baby!”
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| If
you practice this for even just a few minutes several times a week, you
will begin noticing the interdependence of life all around you. And
seeing those interwoven threads of reality is at the heart of what
makes Catalytic Thinking so catalytic!
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this week, practice seeing the cause-and-effect of the good things in
your life. And as you notice what happens as a result of that simple
step, let us all know what you find!
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Want to learn alongside other people who are also trying out Catalytic Thinking practices? Join us at the Catalytic Thinking in Action community on Facebook -
a welcoming place where you can ask questions and learn from people
like you who are experimenting with these practices. We look forward to
seeing you there!
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eJournal Archives:
If you’re new to our eJournal, or just want to remind yourself of past practice exercises we’ve shared, check out our eJournal archives here.
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Keeping Our Programs Freely Available Most of the programs at Creating the Future are free or low cost, with liberal tuition assistance when they aren’t.
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| If you find our programs of benefit, we hope you will consider contributing, to help keep these programs available to as many |
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Creating
the
Future
is a
collection of
people around
the world,
supporting
each other in
a grand
experiment.
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The
experiment:
To
determine how
much better
the world
could be if
the questions
we ask in our
day to day
lives are
bringing out
the best in
each other.
If
everyone,
everywhere, is
bringing out
the best in
every person
they encounter
– and if the
systems that
guide our
behaviors are
built to bring
out the best
in all of us -
how much
closer will we
all be to a
healthy,
humane world
that works for
all of us?
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