Gratitude Trifecta: Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate.

Have you ever signed up for a course or a conference on a whim? Have you ever spontaneously decided to commit to something that wasn’t in ‘the plan’, but in a moment of curiosity, you decided to leap, without full consideration of your ‘why’? Here’s an invitation to leap, without really knowing ‘why’.

Invest 8 hours over 12 weeks starting July 20 and make Thanksgiving 2022 one for the memory books. Details on my website. Gratitude Trifecta: Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate.

And now, a story.

On a whim in June, I signed up for a Social Venture Institute: Banff event, for no particular reason other than, “why not”?

It was an easy effort for me to attend. Coughing spasms and low energy levels aside, I was testing negative for COVID, only needed to walk out of my door and uphill for 10 minutes, honouring a minimal request to invest some time in the background reading. With few expectations, I can happily report that my whim was a good one.

As I was feeling that familiar feeling at the opening reception, I was second guessing myself, wondering if I really belonged, searching my mind for ‘my why’, I was nursing a glass of water along with an overdeveloped degree of insecurity on that evening in July. Silly, but true.

Then I landed on my familiar intention: Show up. Pay attention.

I asked my inside voice to stop talking, opened up my ears and started hearing stories from real people doing real time in social ventures having faced 52 months of COVID disruptions, disappointments and anti-sociabilities. The ROI on my investment of easy curiosity has put me well ahead of where I was prior to the event.

Socially – I met some delightful and interesting people, genuine leaders doing good work in their spaces and places, with  and ready to light up the world.

Intellectually – I got a real-time and privileged peek into the worlds of people whose places, spaces and experiences are dissimilar to mine, except that we have all been living with COVID for over two years.

Emotionally – I became inspired, felt humbled and with further reflection, can feel my positive energy rise.

Physically – my cough lingers, but right after the gathering, I spent some time in a tent in the back-country, replacing my stiffness from sitting with stiffness from hiking and flower sniffing.

Summarizing the social venture event in 10 words or less… The SVI themes were: Kindness. Social connection. Space. Intimacy. Sincerity. More Kindness. Gratitude.

During a one-to-one conversation, I heard myself say, “Exactly! I am no longer interested in the hustle,” which I remembered as I lay in my tent – I want to continue my rewirement with a slightly new way of thinking. No hustle. Simply share my convinction that gratitude is a latent power inside each one of us. But like every good wire, it has to find the right connection. Sometimes, genuine curiosity and minimal effort can reconnect some wires with big gains.

Home for our camping trip, I continue to reflect and savour the SVI moments, words, faces and future possibilities as good ones.

Grassroots Gratitude, my fledgling social enterprise is ready to declare its:

Vision: Community leaders are resilient, creative, courageous, kind and committed to practicing good gratitude.

and what’s more thanks to Mike at Junxion Strategy, Grassroots Gratitude has a mission summarized in 10 words (a tremendous step forward!)

Mission: To foster gratitude as the secret strength of community leadership.

No hustle. Simple conviction that practicing and strengthening your gratitude muscle motivates good work.

Feeling curious about your gratitude strength? Sign up for my 12 week workshop series, starting July 20.

If you are a leader on a quest, looking for your own secret success formula, check out: Gratitude Trifecta: Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate. Details on my website.

Why “Trifecta”? It’s a betting term. It’s an expression used when forecasting the results of a race – the first three finishers, in the right order. It’s a reminder that we take gambles every day – wittingly or not – and we all need some recalibration skills, no matter which way the chips fall.

Ready to make Summer 2022 one for your memory books? Act on a whim and sign up for Gratitude Trifecta: Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate. Today! Details on my website 

Or send me an email: lorraine@grassrootsgratitude.ca