Appreciative Living


Appreciative Living Learning Circles Workshop

Would you like more joy and success in your life right now?

Imagine what it would be like to

  • Energize yourself each morning with a positive, productive attitude for the day ahead in less than five minutes
  • Remain calm and focused in the midst of stressful situations and chaos
  • Transform the negative thoughts and beliefs that keep you stuck and unable to create the life you truly want
  • Develop stronger, smoother and more meaningful relationships with your spouse, family, friends and co-workers
  • Pull yourself out of negative, self-defeating spirals
  • Recognize the potential good in ANY and EVERY situation

All this —and more— is possible once you know the simple yet powerful principles of Appreciative Living!

Appreciative Living is an easy to understand, practical approach to help you focus on what’s good and get clear about what you want. And best of all, it takes just a few minutes a day. The result—

  • Feeling more joy and happiness
  • Having more energy and motivation
  • Making better and smarter decisions
  • Recognizing more opportunities that will move you closer to your dreams

These are the results you can experience through Appreciative Living Learning Circles.

Learn & take action with like-minded people!
The Learning Circles were expertly designed to help you learn how to use Appreciative Living in your life right now in a way that makes sense for you.  It’s all done in a warm, supportive community of like-minded people.
“What I valued most in my Learning Circle experience was the way to bring more joy to myself and how to think positively.  You create your limits, and you are the one who can change your limits!” ~ Yi Fang

Where & when are they held?

Martin Business Leadership offers Appreciative Living Learning Circles Workshops in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. They are typically held once a week for 4 weeks, and run about two hours per meeting.  Contact Kimberly at: KMartin@MartinBusinessLeadership.com for more information.
What do you talk about?

The first week provides an overview of Appreciative Living and teaches you a powerful exercise you can use to transform difficult situations. The next three weeks explore a simple 3-step process for applying it to any part of your life to create what you most desire. Our workshops are focused on reducing stress in the workplace, cultivating calm in challenging situations and replacing patterns of negative thinking with positive uplifting thoughts and beliefs.  Learning Circles allow you to focus on and create whatever is important to you in your life.

What is Appreciative Living?

The principals of Appreciative Living are derived from the foundations of Appreciative Inquiry – a positive strength-based approach to making change in organizations.  It includes co-creating inspiring images of what we want, and then building on positive aspects to make them happen. It’s about becoming more aware of our internal and external dialogues and intentionally shifting them to focus on our desired outcomes. It unleashes the positive potential within people and organizations through attention to the positive core.

The Appreciative Living program consists of an overview of Appreciative Living and teaches participants a powerful exercise they can use to transform difficult situations through exploring a simple 3-step process and applying it to any part of their life – professional and personal – to create what they most desire.

This work is not about ignoring or denying reality. One of the biggest misconceptions about it is that by cultivating gratitude and focusing on the positive in situations, it sounds like a Polly Anna approach. The truth is, it’s about learning to see the good things that truly exist right alongside the bad. Ironically, the more you see the good in yourself and your life or work circumstance, the more motivated you are to take responsibility and work on specific areas for improvement.

What materials are used?

Each person is given a Participant Guidebook with readings, discussion questions and exercises for the Learning Circle. Each person is also given a copy of The Joy of Appreciative Living, Your 28 – Day Plan to Greater Happiness in 3 Incredibly Easy Steps, written by Jackie Kelm.

 Is there homework?

Each week you are given suggested exercises to help you “retrain your brain” to create more effective thinking habits. There is also an optional buddy system to help you stay on-track.

“My most important take-away from this program is to appreciate everything in my life and to cultivate positive thinking and gratitude.  Appreciative thinking has guided me to great success in my life.  Kimberly’s way of teaching is perfect for this program.” ~ Rajani D

Who designed these?
 
Jackie Kelm did the initial design based on her work with Appreciative Inquiry in combination with her extensive training and facilitation background. It was then reviewed and revised by more than 70 people from across the US and internationally in an extensive online collaborative process. The reviewers were from all walks of life with many being professional trainers and facilitators. After the design was finalized, it was piloted by several volunteers. The materials were improved further, resulting in the stellar program available today.  
 
How many people are in a Learning Circle?
The size varies from just a few people, to generally not more than 10 participants.

Who facilitates the Learning Circles?

Kimberly Martin, Certified Executive Coach, facilitates the Appreciative Living Learning Circle Workshops offered by Martin Business Leadership.  Contact Kimberly at: KMartin@MartinBusinessLeadership.com

“In the Learning Circle I gained knowledge about how to think with a positive attitude.  I learned that we should be grateful for everything and everybody – even if it’s a small thing.  When we are grateful we receive our reward…happiness.” ~ Carol C

Testimonial from National Association of Multiple Sclerosis

This Appreciative Living course was recently offered to people with Multiple Sclerosis in Cleveland, Ohio.  These programs are continuing in the US for possible acceptance to the National Association of Multiple Sclerosis. Click this link to watch the video and hear them~ http://tinyurl.com/ydmp8ls

How much do they cost?

The fee varies due to the scope of project – whether it’s one group or many.  These workshops are very reasonably priced. Contact Kimberly at: KMartin@MartinBusinessLeadership.com for more information.

Much to be grateful for…
“The Learning Circles gave me an awareness and appreciation of others and their struggles and that I have so much to be thankful for.”

Jackie Kelm
Author & Founder
Appreciative Living, LLC

If you are interested in bringing Appreciative Living to your workplace, business or organization, contact Kimberly at: KMartin@MartinBusinessLeadership.com or call: (905) 542-3036 for more information.