I can’t be reminded enough of the power of gratitude. I see it constantly in all areas of my life. The single biggest tool I have against feeling down, sad, or depressed, is gratitude. I practice it daily in my morning journaling and in my evening check in with my wife before we go to sleep. In the morning I list at least 5 things I am grateful for from the last 24 hours. And the key is to reconnect with the feelings I had in my body, both emotionally and physically, that were good, warming, connecting. These things are often simple like the cup of tea I enjoyed, or a hug from my son, or the sun on my skin when out for a morning ride or run. The key is reconnecting with those good feelings and appreciating them. Just before sleep, my wife and I each share what our high was for the day and a few things we are grateful for. This has all the benefits of gratitude plus connecting us to each other and putting our minds in a great place before sleep. When I do these practices consistently, I feel so much better in my life!
What triggered this reflection, though, is the power of gratitude at work. A few weeks ago, I read this article in the WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/show-gratitude-work-aaf8f20c?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink Reading it, you can see the equally strong positive effect gratitude has on our teams and careers. People will spend 15% more time helping someone who had previously thanked them. People are 38% more likely to help a stranger they had previously seen thanking someone else. Gratitude not only creates higher productivity but also is much more enjoyable for the giver and receiver. It is important how you give it, but not in what modality. Effective gratitude focuses on what the other person did, not what it did for you. “Thank you for covering that meeting for me. I really appreciate your time and help.” Works great, vs “Thanks for covering that meeting it really saved me.” And it can be effective F2F, Email, text or Asana or Teams chat. People want it to be about them, not you. Showing gratitude in public has the added benefit of everyone who hears it feeling better about you and about the one being thanked. Use it liberally. Everyone benefits.
What are you grateful for right now? Share it with someone you love, especially if it has to do with them. Who has helped you at work? Have you thanked them? If not, send them a note now and thank them again when you are in a meeting with them and others. Share gratitude with the important people in your life as a whole and even those that do small kindnesses for you. For a little extra benefit, do it in public.
Have a great weekend!
Art
PS: Right now I am grateful for the fun bike race I did this morning, the cup of tea I am enjoying working on this, and my the time I have had with my cousin Jim today.
