One of my best friends, Tina, is someone I consider to be a perpetual do-gooder. She is always volunteering on one project or another, and she is the perfect example of someone who spreads cheer wherever she goes. Recently, Tina posted an image on Facebook that read "When we're thankful for the people around us, we realize we have all the friends we've ever wanted. #gratitude" (It's posted here, to the left.) |
I learned a lot: for example, did you know that expressing gratitude will make you 5 times happier than winning the lottery? Yes, this is a real statistic from the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center! (Sidenote: you can read more about the center here!)
For more details, I turned to Michelle Jones, a cofounder of SuperThank and a professor of organizational behavior and leadership, among other things. In other words, she is someone who has a passion for inspiring positive action! Michelle was kind enough to take a few minutes to share with me how SuperThank aims to spark gratitude on a LARGE scale.
Started in 2013, the organization is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation with the State of Oregon, and their 501(c)(3) application is currently under review. While currently based in Portland, Oregon, SuperThank organizers are already planning to expand to other cities nationwide!
So what do they do?
Michelle says the most successful endeavors thus far have been live storytelling events-- where attendees are encouraged to tell a personal story of a person, group or company that has positively impacted their lives. These storytelling events are recorded and then turned into radio shows, which you can listen to on the SuperThank website. In just the past year, SuperThank has hosted several live storytelling events and radio episodes based on them.
Click here to take a listen-- and prepare to be inspired to say "thank you" to someone in your life!