Everyone Wins with Gratitude

Since in the United States today we celebrate Thanksgiving, it is appropriate, perhaps even expected, to suggest we be grateful today.  Of course, the reality is that gratitude is important to our relationships and to us as well, (as today’s quotation suggests) and deserves a place in our daily thoughts.

I’ll move right to it so I can gratefully spend the day with my family . . .

“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”

 – Eileen Caddy, New Age author

Questions to Ponder

• How much gratitude do I feel each day?
• How much gratitude do I share with others?
• How or who could I share gratitude with right now?

Action Steps

1. Be more grateful today.
2. Say “thank you” more often.
3. Be consistent and intentional in your gratitude.
4. As a strategy for being more consistent and intentional, consider beginning a gratitude journal.

My Thoughts

As a kid we are taught to say “thank you” at least in part because it is the nice thing to do – it’s is almost like our parents intuitively agreed with Emily Post that etiquette matters.

The reality is that while being grateful and showing it to others is good for our relationships, it is good for us too.  It is one of those true “both win” behaviors.  As the quotation suggests, if you want more joy and laughter in your life, be more grateful.

And yes, that means even on the days when things aren’t going so well – perhaps especially on those days.  When you look for things to be grateful for (and if you can read these words on a computer you have a bunch of obvious and immediate ones right in front of you), you will be happier, more fulfilled, and yes, more productive.

As a leader when you show your gratitude and thanks you send a powerful human and professional message – and message that makes a bigger difference than you realize – both for the other person and you too.

Everyone wins.

On this Thanksgiving morning as I write this (or whenever you read it), thanks for reading.

Thanks (in advance) for pondering the  questions and taking an action step.  Doing so makes the world a better place.

Thanks.