By the time you read this, the smell of turkey, the recent
conversations and laughter with friends and family, along with your reflections
of gratitude are becoming your most recent of memories. Thanksgiving has a way
of making us feel “full”.
Certainly it fills us with great food, but it has a way of filling us
with joy and hope as we take time to count our untold blessings. It allows us
the time to appreciate our loved ones, our communities, our workplace, and helps
us re-prioritize what it is that matters the most in our lives.
Sadly, too many times Thanksgiving is much like that great conference we attend during the year. We reflect, become rejuvenated with new aspirations,
only to slide back into our same routine in the weeks that follow.
Recently, I came across a post in ContantLeadership
that compiled 10 quotes revolving around the importance of gratitude throughout
the year from various sources across the web. The intent was for the reader to consider living a life of
gratitude to aid in our quest to become better leaders, spouses, parents,
colleagues and friends to the people who most matter in our lives.
“For something to change in
your life, one of two things has to happen: your life changes, or you
do.”
This post from Entrepreneur
Magazine acts as a rallying call-to-action to adopt a “practice of
gratitude” throughout the year. The author argues that changing our attitude to
focus on the positive can transport us from a mindset of victimhood to a
mindset of action, especially in the face of adversity.
“I found myself losing the
‘me’ perspective and gaining a ‘we’ perspective.”
In this uplifting piece, Author
Jamelle Sanders reflects on the power of gratitude in the wake of a
friend’s tragic accident. His ruminations on how gratitude can quiet the ego
and manifest success in your life are a much-needed reminder.
“It’s gratitude that draws
people together, builds trust, and strengthens ties.”
This compelling post from Michael Hyatt uses
research to teach us four tangible ways gratitude can improve our lives; some
research presented here even suggests gratitude can not only strengthen, but
lengthen, your life!
“If you stick to your
practice – even if it’s not ‘heart-felt’ in the beginning – eventually it
transforms into true gratitude.”
This
post gets tactical with gratitude, providing the reader with seven
immediately applicable ways to begin a practice of thanks giving. The author
acknowledges it can be difficult to feel thankful in the face of problems
and roadblocks — but she provides real-world strategies we can all use to
begin authentically giving thanks even when the going gets tough.
“Some people grumble that
roses have thorns. I am grateful that thorns have roses.”
Leadership author Skip
Prichard compiles 28 thought-provoking quotes culled from an assortment of
great minds — from Cicero to Oprah. A quick read that adds more than a little
food for thought to your Thanksgiving table.
“Cultivating gratitude
doesn’t cost any money and it certainly doesn’t take much time, but the
benefits are enormous.”
While some of the positive effects of gratitude are well
documented, a few compiled here
may surprise you. One study cited in this post even suggests gratitude
may help you sleep better.
“Gratitude, honor, and
recognition are so much deeper and more powerful than just saying thanks.”
Dan
Rockwell challenges us to go beyond the words “thank you” to find more
robust and heartfelt ways to express our gratitude and honor people’s
accomplishments. This is a timely reminder to find as many ways as possible to
express appreciation.
“Few things are more
heartwarming than bearing witness to one human being expressing deep gratitude
for the profound, course-altering impact another has played in her or his
life.”
Herein
lies as elegantly and articulately expressed a ‘thank you’ as you’ll ever
read. Although sometimes composing the right message of gratitude can be
difficult — Camus (a literary giant), not surprisingly, finds just the
right words. It’s a nice homage to mentorship and friendship.
“The benefits of gratitude
go far beyond doing something because it’s the ‘right thing’ to do.”
While this
post echoes many of the benefits featured in the other posts, we like that
it explicitly calls out the need for a nobler reason for expressing
gratitude. Eikenberry warns us that if we embark on a practice of giving thanks
only because we’re supposed to, or in hopes of a ”quid pro quo,” that our
efforts may be dead on arrival.
“We have to constantly
remind ourselves to look for ‘what’s right’ in our lives instead of ‘what’s
wrong.'”
This
quick read reminds us to be diligent in resisting the scarcity mindset that
prefers looking for “either,” “or.” Eker emphasizes that being grateful for
what you have does not mean you are being complacent — you can be both grateful
for what you’ve accomplished today and want to push to be better
tomorrow. This post helps to frame gratitude as an abundance mindset.
So my friends…enjoy the sense of “fullness” Thanksgiving
brings…being full of gratitude can be a year long celebration for everyone to
enjoy…
Be good to yourself…
No comments:
Post a Comment