September at Virtues Matter - Understanding

Think about how satisfying it is to clean your glasses (or, for the visually gifted, your phone screen). It instantly changes your mood, and makes everything around you clearer and brighter. 

 Imagine if you could do that not only with your literal vision, but with your perception of yourself, your relationships, your work, and the world.

 Last month at Virtues Matter, we explored how the practice of Gratitude is as much an active daily practice as it is a sense of appreciation. It’s important to be grateful when things are going well: resilience and joy spring up when we elevate caring, community, and thankfulness in the face of adversity. 

 This month, we’re diving even deeper into Understanding how our lens on life can transform our day-to-day perspective and our big-picture future. 

We invite you to reflect as you read the card below:

From The Virtues Project Reflection Cards on the Virtues Cards App

This quality of clarity, mindfulness, and discernment allows us to fully access and appreciate the true potential of each idea, person and community, without being clouded by judgment or fear. We believe that when we’re truly being mindful and open to seeing the full picture, a picture of possibility emerges. This is the foundation of Appreciative Inquiry, a practice created by David Cooperrider at Case Western University.

So: how do we put on that lens of Understanding? Similar to last month’s virtue Gratitude, it sounds great in theory, but it can be hard to put into practice. At our monthly Community Leadership Circle, we dove into the process of making positive change through Appreciative Inquiry.

Our free monthly Community Leadership Circle occurs on the third Thursday of every month. Registration and more information are available here.

What gives life, in your life? What skill or strength do you have that energizes you and makes you feel most capable, and how can you create space for it in your life? Where do you feel you can create understanding with clarity, mindfulness, and compassion at work, home, and beyond?

Virtues in Action: A Better World is Possible

The Coronavirus pandemic has presented everyone with challenges. Feelings of isolation, anxiety, and disconnect are just a few symptoms that many of us have experienced. 

But the pandemic has also connected us in different ways. For the first time, all of humanity has gone through a shared experience. We’ve all learned and envisioned new ways of working, sharing, and living together. That has taken an incredible amount of strength, trust, creativity, and resilience. 

 We’ve been through years of uncertainty together. How can we create a future of connection?

 Virtues Matter is committed to bringing tools for restoration and wellbeing for those who need it most: teachers, youth, community advocates. They are the members of society who hold and shape the future- and they have been disproportionately affected by the effects of the pandemic, with unparalleled reports of burnout, hopelessness, and isolation. 

 We’re entering a new season, new year, and new era. This tide is turning, and we want to be part of it. We invite you to join us!  We’re identifying the challenges, dreaming of what’s possible, envisioning how to get there, and making it happen sustainably, and we need you. 

When you choose to support Virtues Matter, you’re bringing that future to life. We invite you to contribute -and support our mission. No contribution is too small, and no dream of what’s possible is too big.