FEBRUARY 2024
GRATITUDE
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” — Epicurus
Gratitude has been scientifically proven to improve both physical and mental well-being, helping people to live longer and happier lives. The impact of gratitude on relationships, habits, sleep patterns and overall health is remarkable and at a cost of zero dollars, it’s available to everyone! Gratitude defined is simply the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. It’s the ability to take a moment to reflect on the good things in your life no matter how big or small. Adopting a regular practice of gratitude can fuel us as leaders to be at our best and show up in more positive ways for the people in our lives.
In an excerpt from Mary Ann Radmacher’s book; Live With Intention, she says:
“Cultivate the habit of telling friends what has gone right, what is worth noting for its joy and verve and lesson. Join in conversations with, ‘Something like that happened to me once’ and if it must be about disaster, then make sure the story you tell includes something about a disaster averted, not just a disaster. Bad news is, of course, present in every life experience. It knows how to take up plenty of room on it’s own. I figure, why make even larger space for it by telling tales of woes? I’d rather aspire to speaking of all that has gone well.”
Gratitude goes beyond simply trying to find silver linings. When we scan the world for positive and good, we often find what we are looking for. The sad thing though, is that attention-grabbing news headlines and scare tactics of the outrageous draw us down a path that trains our brains to scan the world for the negative instead. We find ourselves easily picking up on all of the bad things that are happening around us, and focusing on them, which leads us to see even more negativity in our lives.
This month, we encourage you to shift the course and go through this 3-2-1 gratitude exercise with your team. Have each person fill out the worksheet. Then go around and share your answers.
EXERCISE:
Write down three things that went well for you last week and provide an explanation for why they went well. How did you feel in that moment, how about now?
What are two things you have that you are grateful for?
Think of a time when someone did something for you that you feel like you could never repay them for. Who was it and what did they do?