This is not just another warm and fuzzy message about the Thanksgiving holiday.B Sure, web re extremely grateful for our customers and associates that give us the opportunity to work with and for them to achieve their business goals.B And, it just makes sense at this time to year to take a few moments to make sure we communicate our gratitude.
But, did you know that developing a b practiceb for expressing gratitude is just plain good for youb &and your business?
The Emmons Lab at the University of California has studied gratitude and its relationship to well-being.B Ib ll share a few of the findings in their scientific study.
- Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental conditions.
- Those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
- Participants in the daily gratitude condition were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another, relative to the hassles or social comparison condition.
- In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of oneb s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.
And, for those of you who are parents b
- Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008).
Yes, I realize that you are a business professional. But, I donb t know anyone (parent or manager) who wouldnb t prefer to be around people that have a more positive attitude, are generally more helpful, are in a good mood, and are making progress towards their goals.B It seems pretty clear that practicing gratitude is great for productivity!B Maybe itb s time to give gratitude for gratitude.
Just do it.B You can get started by creating a list of things youb re grateful for.B And, then review it every day for the next week, adding to it as you realize how much you have to be grateful for.B I created a gratitude journal for b the seasonb .B I hope youb ll do the same.
