I’m really busy – how about you? The holiday season was crazy and now that we are starting a new year, that list of things to accomplish is LONG! Not only does it seem to be endless, many of the items on that list will take some real effort. Working toward success can become overwhelming and just plain hard! Bottom line, not many things on my list feel “easy” these days.
However, there is something you can do that only requires a bit of quiet time to sit and reflect (I know – harder than it sounds) and pays HUGE benefits. Ultimately, I think it has a really big impact on your success as well. That is simply to think about what you are grateful for each day. It could be the big things, like your health and your loved ones to the things that may seem trivial, like a sunny day, a beautiful flower or someone’s contagious laugh. Those precious moments can really put things in perspective and give you the energy to keep plugging away at those more difficult items on your list. Living your life with gratitude allows you to put a positive perspective on most situations. It helps keep you grounded and reminds you of what is most important in your life.
When I coach leaders, I often have them journal about various aspects of our work together. I had to start doing it myself in order to realize the benefits and promote its value to my clients. That small act of writing down what I’m grateful for has helped me through challenging situations and provided inspiration to keep moving forward. It’s a great reminder that I’ve got a lot of things going in my favor so certainly, I can meet this challenge head-on. I must admit, there are periods of time when I don’t do it everyday, but at least once a week, I take a moment to take note of those blessings.
One thing I don’t do enough of is telling others how grateful I am for them, what they’ve done for me and others, and generally acknowledge the value they bring. My personal challenge is to write more hand-written notes of thanks and gratitude. I’m always thrilled to get a hand-written note and I think many others feel the same! What do you say – want to join me in my quest to share our gratefulness?
If so, do these three things:
- Stop, reflect and document what you are grateful for.
- Write to others notes of thanks and acknowledgement.
- To inspire you and get you started, check out this TedTalks video – great message with beautiful images and story from Louie Schwartzberg
I have a feeling that writing these notes more frequently will really be beneficial for me because I’ll be spending more time thinking about all those positive things people have done and more time thinking positive thoughts can only be good for me, right?! Give it a go, find your happy place and tell me what your experience is like. Can’t wait to hear your stories!
Martha Duesterhoft is a Partner at PeopleResults. Follow her on Twitter @MDuesterhoft.
