The Gratitude Project

We invite you to participate in The Gratitude Project. The purpose of this project is to contribute to a more peaceful world, one in which people more fully appreciate each other and the power each of us has to make life more wonderful.

Each of us has a need to contribute to others, and we need to have feedback letting us know if and when we have done that. Thanking people who have contributed to our well-being provides this feedback and also gives us a chance to express our gratitude.

In many cultures this process is mixed up with rewards and various other impediments to natural giving and receiving. Here is a way to express gratitude that is likely to be satisfying and also provide useful information to the one thanked.

Think of someone who has done something that contributed to your life in some way. This could be something everyone would agree is a significant contribution, or it could be some apparently small gesture. What matters is only that YOU found the person's action to be valuable to you.

Now write down:

(1) what the person did

(2) how you feel when you recall what the person did: grateful, relieved, touched, pleased, etc.
(See the feelings lists for more suggestions.)

(3) what need of yours was met, for example: support, understanding, respect, acknowledgement, etc.
(See the needs list for more suggestions.)

Take your time to get clear about each step.

Now put together a sentence that expresses all this: For example:
When I recall you offering to drive me to the airport, I feel relieved because it meets my need for support.

Now send your message to the person by whatever method you choose. And send this whole message to others you know to invite them to participate in this project.

If participating in this project enhances your life, we would enjoy hearing about it. Please send us an email at email cnvc.

The Gratitude Project is sponsored by the Center for Nonviolent Communication