BLOGS & RESOURCES
From Fear to Gratitude
Something amazing happens when you embrace and express gratitude…
Gratitude transforms how YOU perceive your world and react to it.
When you focus on what you're thankful for, your mind's limited resources are steered away from dwelling on fears and negative emotions like anger and jealousy.
Negative emotions cannot co-exist with gratitude.
Gratitude activates positive neural circuits, enhancing your mood and broadening your perspective to appreciate the abundance around you.
By consistently practicing gratitude, it becomes a mental habit, ultimately crowding out and replacing negative emotions with a sense of contentment and well-being.
You can make shift happen!
Replace fear with gratitude…
and your whole world changes.
Be with us in a transformative journey towards gratitude.
Sign up now to join our guided daily journal in experiencing the ultimate power of gratitude.
Through FLOURISH, we provide a supportive journey exploring abundant, meaningful gratitude that fosters resilience against life's adversities, generates deep-seated contentment, and motivates consistent personal transformation, all wrapped in an inspiration-filled, engaging shared experience. One that you can start whenever you’re ready…including NOW.
Discover more of FLOURISH here.
Contribution is Essential to Human Flourishing
Are you using AI to eliminate or liberate your people?
Are you using technology to liberate…or eliminate your people?
That question lies at the heart of the AI conversation.
Kevin joined Dr. Markku Wilenius of Finland Futures Research Centre for a hour-long conversation unpacking that connection.
Here’s a clip, you can watch the whole conversation here.
The difference between Hope and Optimism
Are hope and optimism the same thing?
Hope is a powerful force! We need it.
It’s more personal than optimism.
Kevin joined Dr. Markku Wilenius of Finland Futures Research Centre for a hour-long conversation unpacking that connection.
Here’s a clip, you can watch the whole conversation here.
How often is enough?
How often should you tell employees, “I appreciate you”?
How often should you tell employees you appreciate them?
Surveys say, once a week is not too often! Once in a career is!
Kevin joined Dr. Markku Wilenius of Finland Futures Research Centre for a hour-long conversation unpacking that connection.
Here’s a clip, you can watch the whole conversation here.
React, Resist, or Respond?
In this short video, Kevin explores three ways leaders handle change.
Is the Future of Work making for more, or less, human workplaces?
Kevin says it depends on whether leaders react, resist, or respond to change.
Kevin joined Dr. Markku Wilenius of Finland Futures Research Centre for a hour-long conversation unpacking that connection.
Here’s a clip, you can watch the whole conversation here.
Gratitude is a Catalyst
In this short video, Kevin unpacks the idea of Gratitude as a catalyst for the good things you want.
Is there a connection between the Power of Gratitude and the Future of Work?
Kevin joined Dr. Markku Wilenius of Finland Futures Research Centre for a hour-long conversation unpacking that connection.
Here’s a clip, you can watch the whole conversation here.
Unleashing the Power of Gratitude
Exactly what is the power of gratitude? Or maybe, you’re curious and wondering, “Does gratitude have power? If so, what kind of power?”
Let me ask it another way; a more practical way with apologies to the purists whose feathers might be a bit ruffled by viewing a high and noble, perhaps even spiritual practice through a pragmatic lens. I mean no offense.
What difference does gratitude make?
In the broad sense? At large in the world? And right down to the nitty-gritty of making a difference in your life right now…At this moment as well as the moments that follow?
I believe gratitude holds up to the scrutiny of close examination.
Rather than ‘cheapening it’ by looking at it pragmatically, we enrich our understanding of it which leads to expanding the place we make for it in our lives, in our work, and most of all, in our world -- a world that is still navigating our way through this current malaise and meltdown all the while desperately searching for a path forward to a better, brighter future.
Gratitude helps us recast the past, reframe the present, and reimagine the future.
Here’s a list of benefits that is grounded in observation of experiences (and not just mine either), insights that are often crystallized in conversations, and reflections on conversations and experiences.
Will you join me as together we explore the Power of Gratitude and the difference it makes when we embrace it?
Ten Benefits of Tapping into the Power of Gratitude
1. Gratitude provides a fresh sense of perspective. I’ve heard it said that perspective is the first thing we lose in a crisis. Often in crisis, we are prone to think, or imagine the worst and often engage in hyperbole. All is lost! There is NO hope! This is the worst thing ever! Gratitude helps us see beyond the current crisis. To realize things may not be as dire as we think. And even when things are bad, to realize if we are still alive, there is hope and we can and will get through this current crisis. Gratitude shifts what we see… shifting what we see shifts how we perceive it.
2. Gratitude provides a sense of wonder and awe. WOW! Friends helped me realize wow is one of my favorite words and has a variety of meanings based on how I say it. WOW, is a natural response to wonder and awe. Living in gratitude helps us see and seize the moments surrounding us that we otherwise miss. Whether it’s birds singing, the sun as it rises or sets, cloud formations, noticing kindness and compassion in action. Gratitude increases our observation and appreciation of the little things.
3. Gratitude helps us focus. So many things vie for our attention and seek to distract us. Gratitude helps us focus by choosing to look for and find the good even when surrounded by many things that are not-so-good.
4. Gratitude fuels our perseverance. When we realize that we, or others we know, have made it through challenges and difficulties, it gives us the grit to carry on and persevere rather than throwing in the towel and calling it quits.
5. Gratitude enhances our overall well-being. Recently, I was with participants in our current session of 30 Days IN the Power of Gratitude and as we reflected on their experience of this journey — an enhanced sense of calm, wellbeing — including getting to sleep faster and better quality of sleep…and we know the impacts of sleep on our health.
6. Gratitude allows us to connect quickly and deeply with others, even strangers. For two-plus years now, I’ve been hosting public gatherings that are grounded in gratitude. Gatherings (now over 200 of them) that either started by inviting people to share gratitude or in the past year when the entire event focused on exploring and expressing gratitude. One of my favorite comments to hear is some variation of this one comment from last December, “we arrived as strangers and left as friends” — all in the span of 60 minutes.
7. Gratitude empowers contentment transforming whatever amount we have into enough. In a season of time when everyone has lost something and many have lost so much. And in an age of pervasive ads and messages everywhere encouraging us to a perpetual collection of stuff (possessions or experiences), gratitude invites and allows us to be content with what we have. NOW. However, little or much it may be. Gratitude helps us recognize, it is enough.
8. Gratitude is fertile soil for the other good things we want in our life, work, and families. As we explore, express, and experience gratitude, we discover that gratitude is the fertile soil in which other good things grow — particularly hope. As Cicero said,
Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, it’s the parent of all others.
9. Gratitude always travels with good friends. I began calling it JAG — JOY, Abundance, and Gratitude because wherever you find one member of that trio, the other two are close in tow. They travel together. It doesn’t matter which shows up first, when one arrives, the others are soon to follow. Kindness, compassion, happiness, and others are also traveling companions with gratitude.
10. Gratitude is the gateway to abundance. It opens the door to more of the good things in life and work. Perhaps this summarizes everything preceding this entry on the list. Embracing gratitude helps you leave the land of scarcity and enter a life of abundance.
This list is far from exhaustive. What benefits listed here have you experienced as you embrace gratitude? What benefits would you add to this list? Please use the comments below to grow this list.
If you’re looking to tap into the Power of Gratitude in your life, family, or work please download the Grateful App it’s available globally and helps you know, grow, and show gratitude daily.
Reflections and Revelations
Kevin Monroe goes solo in this end-of-year episode of This Extraordinary Life. He reflects on the past 90 days of the podcast and 150 days of the This Extraordinary Life community.
You’ll hear him talk about:
The joy of being associated with gratitude.
The fallacy of perfection.
The serendipitous moments that the year 2020 has instigated.
A new project under the This Extraordinary Life banner.
Intentionality.
Kevin encourages anyone who is willing to add their take to This Extraordinary Life to call or text him at 404-713-0713 or send their suggestions to kevin@thisextraordinarylife.com
Resources
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
Reach out to Kevin at 404-713-0713 to find out more about his newest project!
Belonging at Work with Paul Haury
Today’s guest is Paul Haury, a self-proclaimed Belonging Coach, and Evangelist for heart-based leadership in workplace culture and happiness. He is the founder of Heart Based Leading, a coaching and consulting service dedicated to making workplaces happy, healthy, and fun in order to perform better.
This week’s theme is about belonging. As most of us spend most of our time at work, our experiences there have the potential to impact all other aspects of our lives. When you belong at your workplace, it improves your quality of life. You go home happy which encourages a happy and healthy home atmosphere; this then enables you to go to work happy and healthy, and the cycle continues.
You’ll hear Paul and Kevin Monroe talk about:
What happens when teamwork, love, and the environment work together in harmony.
The misconceptions surrounding leadership from the heart.
How belonging is more than just a feeling.
What true courage is about.
The full value of belonging.
Paul stays for the Community Magic segment and shares his experiences with belonging in the This ExtraOrdinary Life community.
Resources
Paul Haury on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: paul@heartbasedleading.com
Call or text Paul at +206-714-6113
The Joy of Synchronicity with Theo Prodromitis
This week’s guest is Theo Prodromitis. Theo is a keynote speaker, Amazon Entrepreneur and Marketing Strategist, and the author of The Balance Between Hustle and Flow.
Her work is motivated by philotimo, a Greek personal and cultural imperative that life has a deeper meaning through larger contributions, to honor your God-given gifts by improving the lives of others.
This week’s episode is all about balance and energy. Theo and Kevin talk about the different ways energy shows up in our lives and how to balance the different kinds we experience to be happier and more fulfilled, and ultimately able to do more for others.
Some of the topics they explored are:
The importance of family, history, and culture - and how they shape us.
How ideas take work - even inspired ones. Pairing hustle with flow can make all the difference in how you approach things.
Presence - being present is the ability to suspend the chatter in your mind. This is a gift you can give to the people you spend time with.
You are the curator of your own life and can make space for what you want to have in it. This is true for people, projects, energy, and emotions.
The importance, and sometimes the difficulty, of being kind to yourself, and the micro strategies you can use to do so.
This week’s community magic - we have another wonderful thought from Theo.
Exploring Emotional Intelligence with Marc Brackett
Today’s guest is Marc Brackett, the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the author of Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive. He is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Yale University, with a Ph.D. in Personality and Social Psychology.
This week’s theme explores emotions. Emotions carry over into every aspect of our lives, from decision-making to relationships and our mental and physical health. Emotions also fuel the creative process. Developing emotional intelligence unlocks untapped potential and has the power to change our whole lives.
You’ll hear Marc and Kevin Monroe discuss:
The effect that emotions have on our personal and professional lives.
Why there is no such thing as a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ emotion.
There’s no correlation between your inclination to experience strong emotions and your skill in managing them.
How community affects the individual.
Why it’s important to identify which emotions are best suited for different tasks.
Arlene Mendoza of the This ExtraOrdinary Life community talks about emotional language.
Resources
Marc Brackett on LinkedIn
The Hospitable Leader with Terry Smith
Today’s guest is Terry Smith, the lead pastor of The Life Christian Church (TLCC), a nondenominational faith community known for its diversity and robust leadership culture. Terry is the co-founder of the New York City Leadership Center, a speaker, and an author. He is a firm advocate for incorporating hospitality into leadership.
The theme of this week’s episode is hospitality. When we say hospitality, we don’t mean how to set a table; it’s about creating a genuinely welcoming climate in an organization. When you create an environment that is truly welcoming to a diverse group of people, you have amazing potential to combat the difficulties of the world today.
You’ll hear Terry and Kevin Monroe talk about:
How hospitality combats polarization.
The five welcomes of hospitable leadership.
Hospitality and belonging.
How hospitality intersects with diversification and inclusivity.
What it takes to be hospitable.
Kat Haste, the resident artist for the Gratitude Challenge, shares what excites her most about creating art that inspires gratitude.
Kevin and Kat are proud to announce the unveiling of a new facet of the Gratitude Challenge: the Gratitude Challenge Card Deck! This deck consists of 54 prompts in a lovely gift box sized for your convenience to use anywhere at any time you wish.
Resources
Terry Smith on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
The Hospitable Leader: Create Environments Where People and Dreams Can Flourish
The Power of Intention with Lorin Beller
Today’s guest is Lorin Beller, a business and life strategist and the owner of Lorin Beller & Co. Lorin is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and helping them grow their businesses, build powerful partnerships, and become extraordinary leaders. She has been empowering entrepreneurs since 2001, providing exceptional coaching and training to help them achieve their goals. Lorin is also the founder of Change Maker Nation, an intention-driven community committed to making a difference, one intention at a time.
This week, we explore the theme of intention, a concept that is often misunderstood. Intention is energy: living intentionally shortens the amount of time one gets thrown off course. Choosing to live intentionally gives you more options for how to go about life. It takes practice and is a conscious choice you have to make every day.
You’ll hear her and Kevin Monroe discuss:
- The connection between intentionality and serendipity.
- What success really means.
- The disciplines of focusing on one thing.
- The definition of intention.
- How intentionality impacts your life.
Kevin Monroe reflects on the impact that the This Extraordinary Life community has had on his life so far.
Resources
Lorin Beller on LinkedIn | TwitterLorinBeller.com | ChangeMakerNation.com
Making Ripples with Kindness with Emma Lloyd and Joanna Suvarna
Today’s guests are Emma Lloyd and Joanna Suvarna. Emma is the Head of Experience at MB People and the Global Facilitator, Director, Coach and Director at Create the Ripple Ltd. Joanna is a voluntary Ambassador for BulliesOut, a voluntary Learning Community Champion at CIPD, and the Founder of the ‘Be The Ripple’ movement. Dubbed ‘Kindness Champions’ by Kevin Monroe, they both embody the spirit of compassion and possess a passion for making a difference through other people.
This week’s theme is kindness, and why we need it. Kindness is bigger than just being kind; it involves being your authentic self, warmth, depth, and empathy. Kindness is not a soft skill. Though society sees kindness as a weakness, it requires immense strength.
You’ll hear them and Kevin Monroe discuss:
- What kindness means to them.
- Instances where they were recipients of kind acts.
- Why we should be kinder to ourselves.
- The correlation between kindness and gratitude.
- Overcoming your negativity bias.
Sarah Radican of the This Extraordinary Life community returns to share more thoughts about community and belonging.
Resources
Emma Lloyd on LinkedIn | Twitter
Joanna Suvarna on LinkedIn | Twitter
The Benefits of Belonging with Nilofer Merchant
Today’s guest is Nilofer Merchant, a speaker at Speaker’s Spotlight and a former writer for Harvard Business Review. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed book “The Power of Onlyness,” and was ranked number 1 by Thinkers 50 as the Most Likely Person to Influence the Future of Management.
The theme of this week’s episode is belonging, and how it impacts your life both personally and professionally. Onlyness is the experience, purpose, talent and perspective that lies untapped within every person. Feeling a sense of belonging is key to untapping the potential of your employees.
You’ll hear her and Kevin Monroe talk about:
- What onlyness means.
- The power of questions.
- The importance of choosing your friends wisely.
- What belonging feels like.
- Defining your identity.
Linda Simpson of the This Extraordinary Life community shares past experiences with belonging at work.
Resources
Nilofer Merchant on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Call or text Nilofer: 404-713-0713
Join Nilofer on a journey to change the workplace at @work.
Building Constructive Communities with Technology with Gina Bianchini
Today’s guest is Gina Bianchini, the co-founder and CEO of Mighty Networks, the software that powers the online home of This Extraordinary Life. Mighty Networks is a website-building platform with a mission to pilot a new generation of creative business founded on community. It provides creators with the tools they need to create their brand and business.
The theme of this week’s episode is the intersection of modern technology and social networks. Software has a generative ability to unlock positive, constructive relationships and build deeper connections. Additionally, creator-led communities present us with the opportunity to redefine success.
You’ll hear Gina and Kevin Monroe talk about:
- The origins of Mighty Networks.
- The role of software in facilitating community and connection.
- The keys to a flourishing online community.
- How software has been weaponized to destroy rather than construct.
- How community is more than just having commonalities.
Sarah Ratekin of the This Extraordinary Life community shares thoughts and reflections about community.
Resources
Gina Bianchini on LinkedIn | Twitter
A Conversation About Conversations with Jeff Durso
Today’s guest is Jeff Durso, a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 launches. He is the co-founder of Blitzr. He is also the President of Native Britain, the parent company of an e-learning application for mathematics with almost 600,000 learners. Jeff’s experience with entrepreneurship enables him to help visionaries turn big ideas into high-growth opportunities.
The theme of this week’s show is that conversation begets connection, and connection begets community. Our conversations have the potential to be profound and life-changing in the simplest of ways. Within the last 50 years our means of communication have advanced tremendously; this enables us to have more conversation, make more connections, and build more communities.
In this episode you’ll hear him and Kevin Monroe discuss:
- The definition of conversation.
- Serendipitous encounters.
- How to replace expectation with anticipation.
- Blitzr, an online platform that lets you interact with and have stimulating conversations with new people.
- Practical steps one can take to create better conversations with those we’re distanced from.
Hedden of the This Extraordinary Life community talks about his experiences with conversations and how they led him into the extraordinary.
Resources
Jeff Durso on LinkedIn | Twitter
Blitzr.com
Jeff and Kevin are extending an invite to listeners to join a Blitz with them! Visit the website to learn more.
The Art of Listening with Jane Adshead-Grant and Oscar Trimboli
Today’s guests are Jane Adshead-Grant and Oscar Trimboli, who are both long-time friends of host Kevin Monroe. Jane Adshead-Grant is an author, speaker, and Master Certified Coach and Facilitator at Ashvale Consultancy Ltd. Oscar Trimboli is the Head of Coaching Faculty at The Marketing Academy Australia and a speaker, author, and mentor at Oscar Trimboli Pty Ltd. They have, collectively, more than half a century of extensive experience in leadership, coaching, and mentoring.
Listening is the willingness to have your mind changed, and the difference between hearing and listening is the action we take. Kevin and his guests explore the concept of active listening with the intent to understand and act, not just to respond. What’s the role of a listener, and how can we be a better one?
They’ll share:
- The difference between hearing and listening.
- How the state of listening has changed during the current pandemic.
- Ways to address interruptions or distractions.
- How to be an ear of reason in a global crisis.
- How to create a listening environment.
Scott James of the This Extraordinary Life community touches on how today’s guests have impacted him along his personal and professional journey.
Resources
Jane Adshead-Grant on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: jane@ashvaleconsultancy.com
Oscar Trimboli on LinkedIn | Twitter
Close Encounters of the Extraordinary Kind
Kevin Monroe talks to listeners about the transformative power of conversations and community in this second episode of This Extraordinary Life. He shares instances in which a conversation turned an ordinary transaction into an extraordinary encounter.
You’ll hear him talk about:
- The impact that community has on your life.
- How to humanize transactional interactions.
- His encounter with Congressman John Lewis.
- How a simple decision gave him the opportunity to witness the history lesson of a lifetime.
- A truly extraordinary connection between two of his friends, Arlene Mendoza and Jason Meucci.
Resources
Kevin Monroe on LinkedIn | Twitter
The Power of Gratitude with Steve Foran and Lilian Jans Beken
One of today's guests is Steve Foran, the founder and CEO of Gratitude At Work, and the Forum Chair at MacKay CEO Forums. Steve’s mission is to shift corporate culture by helping companies bring gratitude to work each day. He’s accompanied by Lilian Jans Beken, who is a speaker, writer, researcher, and the founder and CEO of the Thriving Human Science Center. Lilian is often referred to as Dr. Gratitude because of her PhD in positive psychology. They both feature as the first guest speakers on this pilot episode of This Extraordinary Life.
Being extraordinary and living an extraordinary life is a matter of choice and not chance. You already have everything you need to live this extraordinary life. In this exciting new podcast, Kevin Monroe provides listeners with the tools to maximize their life’s full potential by having stimulating, insightful conversations with highly successful professionals in various industries.
You’ll hear Kevin chat with Steve and Lilian about:
- What gratitude means to them.
- How gratitude helps you cope with difficult situations.
- How gratitude affects your perspective.
- The physiological benefits of practicing gratitude.
- How we can dig deep to find gratitude when it seems impossible.
Sandy Anderson and Rachel Drukenmiller of the This Extraordinary Life community share stories of how gratitude has recently impacted their lives.
Resources
Steve Foran on LinkedIn | Twitter
Lilian Jans Beken on LinkedIn | Twitter