Each month, the Intrinsic Digital Culture Committee comes up with ways to organize events that keep our employees connected while working within a fully remote company. With November being National Gratitude Month, the committee invited us all to practice a little gratitude.
We were instructed to collect our thoughts on what we feel most grateful for in our lives. From the time of the calendar invite, November 1, until the virtual team meeting on November 21, employees were asked to jot down our sentiments and be prepared to share our thoughts with the rest of the group during the team meeting, so we could collectively celebrate our collective gratefulness together.
A list of prompts for the entire month were provided for those who needed some extra ideas, or employees could make up their own.
Expressing gratitude, intrinsically
After everyone had gathered their lists, we met for an hour-long video call. The Culture Committee kicked off the event with a much welcomed gratefulness meditation session. Utilizing the "Calm" app, the team took a peaceful journey starting with a breathing exercise, followed by taking time to really focus on one thing we are grateful for. After the quick meditation session, everyone took turns talking about three things they jotted down.
Some of the responses
"I am grateful for my health, warm home, and hot showers." Weronika Bartnik
"To have a brother with a beach house; which led to - to have a brother who is generous with his beach house; which led to - to then be able to share his generosity with a friend whom I am grateful to have in my life. I am grateful for our Veterans, including the one on our team (Joey). I am grateful and humbled by their courage and the sacrifices they make to keep our country safe and free. And I am so grateful for family, friends, and coworkers who fill my life with joy and give me purpose." Lori DiGirolamo
"I am very thankful for the balance I have in my life with, the ability to travel and experience new cultures, and that I get to work with such wonderful and kindhearted people every day!" Shelby Collinson
"I am grateful for the opportunity to be in a new home in a great town and school system for my children, and to be with my parents once again! I am grateful that I found Intrinsic Digital which has shown me what truly loving your job and career looks like! I am so surprised at how different and comforting it feels to work in such a healthy environment with great values, an amazing culture, and wonderful coworkers!" Juliann Loomis
"I'm grateful there are SO many things to be grateful for! My husband's health, love of family and friends, a forgiving and merciful Lord, the view out my window, a moment alone with any one of my children, my fuzzy sheets on a cold night." Regan Jennings
"I am grateful to be here, both where I am in life and where I work. Being a single parent is hard and with the flexible schedule Intrinsic offers, I am able to juggle being a productive employee and being a super mom. I even have time to discover myself and pick some new hobbies. My village was small prior to joining Intrinsic – just my parents and my two sisters, but now I consider my coworkers and leadership a part of my village. I’m also grateful to be able to watch my son grow and hit milestones that I would miss out on if I were to return to the office. Working at home has helped me help him meet these milestones.” Stacey Chanthavong
"Here are the three things I am most thankful for: having a great family and being able to live close to them, having a job that I love with the people I work with, and I have amazing friends and a cat that I love dearly." Joey Brown
"I am grateful for my family, friends, and Intrinsic coworkers; freedom in the USA; and technology (especially GPS)." Lettina Guangul
"Here is a list of things I am grateful for: my own apartment that allows me to freely choose how I'd like to decorate my space in a way that brings me happiness, a place I am happy and proud to host people; friends that introduce me to new, welcoming, and outgoing people; and city planners for thinking and planning well-lit streets that allow me to feel comfortable to walk at any time of day, enjoy the outdoors, and my city." Laurel De Luca
"I am grateful for my health and my family's health, the opportunity to pick up and move across country without having to quit my job (and the ability to work from anywhere and have coworkers I consider friends), and waking up each morning - our time here on Earth is truly a blessing, and I try to never take that for granted." Jackie Byrnes
"I am grateful that my immediate family is just as close as we were when I was a kid. My brother and I live close to my parents, and my older sister is moving back home next year. I am grateful to have a job that doesn't leave me depleted and feeling overworked. I am grateful that I am still best friends with my same best friends from elementary school. It is such a blessing to watch us all grow together and start our own families." Kesha Hinton
"I am grateful for my family, friends, and cats; the beach and going on vacation; and art - being able to view/experience it but also being able to create it." Kate Trigg
What we learned
Team members expressed their gratefulness for this activity even after the event ended. Everyone really enjoyed the meditation activity, as well as learning what means the most to our teammates. We won't name any names, but a couple of the sentiments were so moving that a few of our team members were fighting back tears.
Needless to say, this was another home run event for the Culture Committee! Interested in practicing gratefulness with your team or just in your daily life? Check out this list of prompts.
We hope all of our clients and family and friends have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love the Journey
Intrinsic Digital’s core mission is “We love the journey,” due to the recognition that “There is no destination in life or work - it is always changing.” Even amidst changes, the modality to “Love the Journey” leaves an infinite path of unexplored opportunities. And this event on gratefulness was a great opportunity for team members to revisit the mission and regain some life-work integration. In a recent article from Ariana Huffington, she expresses the need to change the sometimes abstract term of “work-life balance” to “life-work integration.” Ultimately, she posits that “We bring our whole selves to work,” and tending to ourselves and our own lives is an important component that fuels professional fulfillment as well.
About Intrinsic Digital’s Culture Committee
Our Culture Committee is a core component of life at Intrinsic. Each month, our Culture Committee plans out monthly events that promote creative team bonding experiences. After a few months, Intrinsic brings in new team members who want to volunteer and bring in fresh, fun ideas that invigorate our company culture. Past events have included family-feud style competitions (complete with paid actors), a guess the baby photo contest (quite a feat!), and a group workout session, among many other events. To learn more about Intrinsic’s core values, please visit https://intrinsicdigital.marketing/core-values.