Gratitude Games

Gratitude is a state of mind or a way of life, if you will. The ancient Roman philosopher, Cicero said, “Gratitude is the greatest of all virtues and the parent of all others.”

Gratitude becomes a practice in our daily lives that we continuously cultivate. It’s almost like a muscle, that we develop and grows stronger the more that we do it. On certain days it’s easy to be abundantly grateful, while other days we struggle. It’s often on these days that are a struggle that we have to dig deep, but we can see positive growth.

I have found in my own practice of gratitude, that I sometimes get stuck with some of the same things i.e., my family, a roof over my head, health, a great workout, etc. It has occurred to me that in order to grow my practice and go beyond the obvious per se – I needed to be challenged.

I am so excited today to review a wonderful new way that you can grow your practice of gratitude for yourself and with others.

I had the opportunity to play a new game called appropriately, Gratitude Games. There are so many options with this game, but the basis of it is utilizing the “Grategories” cards to stimulate you thoughts of gratitude.

I first played the game with my group of “Gratitude Girls,” which is my group of positive energy buddies. I have to admit, I was not in a positive state of mind the evening we got together having recently received some health news about a family member. I decided I needed my “Girls” that evening to pull me up. I used Gratitude Games as an ice breaker to start off the night. What we discovered was that we loved this game and quite honestly I don’t even know how much time we spent playing because it was such a dynamic experience.

I often tell people that energy is contagious (positive and negative alike). Through this experience playing the game, my energy shifted from negative to positive through the sharing of gratitude with others.

We played a round robin form of the game. We used the basic cards, which are great for all ages. The game also includes advanced and adult type cards that are more challenging topics that are age- and experience-related.

I put all of the cards in a basket and we went in a circle each one of us picking a card and sharing our gratitude. It’s funny how the law of attraction works since I picked two cards that were so appropriate for me–technology and movie.

I thought these were really funny because anyone who knows me knows how much I love technology (my blackberry, my laptops, and the web, et al). For the movie, well I’ve been obsessed with Twilight since I found the movie and the books last year and I have seen the movie more than 10 times. It was funny and brought the group (who knows my obsession well) a good chuckle. These Grategories were light, but many were more deep and thought provoking. Some brought tears, while some brought laughter.

Here’s what one of the girls said about her experience with the game:

“This game was such fun. It evoked so many different emotions in our group…from laughter all the way to tears. The beauty of it (for our group as we had no set rules about staying on topic) was that these “gratitude phrases” acted as really “topic starters” for us. Full blown discussions often came from each person’s turn at the cards. It was during these discussions that we learned more about each other and, I think, might have even learned a little more about ourselves. I think I speak for us all when I say we all look forward to next time.”

-Dorothy

Another one of the girls, who is a performer by nature and passion, shared her metaphoric interpretation of the game:

“I liken it to music- the “cards” being the “notes,” the stories told being the “melodies” and most importantly the universal sharing which is the song of Life which we all know the words to. We all know and hum the same notes which results in our “singing” our own song along with the person who is relaying her “melody.”

Translation: This game brings out all our songs even when its not our turn to sing but we can hum along with the one who is. It’s fun, it’s sensitive, it’s bonding and it compels you to participate!”

-Patti

My daughter, who is 7, wanted to play the game after everyone left. Since it was late, we played a quick version where she and I took turns picking cards and sharing our gratitude. She enjoyed this bonding experience very much and I learned something, too. I grabbed my gratitude journal, which I keep by my bed, and started jotting down the answers to the cards that I pulled.

At that moment, it occurred to me that this is a great thing to do just for myself to challenge my gratitude practice and grow beyond the obvious things that I am grateful for. The cards act as a challenge to stimulate something to be grateful for that I may not have thought about.

Finally, I tested out the game in a business environment. I was having a Saturday strategy session with my husband and our family business. There were five of us gathered for a long day meeting. I thought it would be fun to go once around the table for a quick game. We did and it too was a mind opening and awakening experience. Again, the emotions were from laughter to tears. It was truly amazing and a great way to open up and start our then highly productive day.

Gratitude Games is truly a wonderful product and a great addition to any family or business for that matter. As you can see from my experience and the experiences written by others it helps you to grow your practice of gratitude and in turn learn a little more about yourself and others.

I can not wait to play Gratitude Games again! I encourage you to get your own copy of the game as I know you will enjoy it and love the results you feel. Click on the links below to learn more about Gratitude Games and to order your copy.

Now, let’s have a little fun. The creators of this fabulous game are doing something really special for our readers at the Gratitude Circle. They have given us one Grategories Card Game and one Gratitude Games Pro Package to give away to two lucky readers!

There are a few ways that you can be entered in to win one of these great giveaways. First, you MUST click on the links below and answer one of these questions:

1. What are three games included in the Gratitude Games Pro Package?
2. What are some ways to enjoy playing Grategories?
3. List two things that gratitude is proven to do.
4. How are Gratitude Games and Grategories delivered and what is its benefit?

Ok, now you can earn some extra entries! Here are some additional options:

1. Make a comment with what you are grateful for.
2. Tweet about this giveaway.
3. On any other social networks? Spread the word, let us know and it will count as another entry!

Entries must be posted by Monday, April 6th at 10am EST when I will pick the winner!

In gratitude,

Learn More About Gratitude Games and Order Your Copy

Learn More About Grategories and Order Your Copy