Gratitude As A Way Of Life

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, gratitude is definitely in the air. Everyone is reflecting and sharing things for which they are thankful.

And as many articles and studies suggest, gratitude can also be beneficial to one's well being and, most importantly, one's perspective. This positive outlook can help you in many facets of your life, including your business or career.

So for this upcoming holiday, here are some ideas to develop a "Gratitude Mindset" and keep it front and center year-round.

The Power Of Three

To jumpstart your attitude of gratitude, think about three things every day for which you are grateful. And pick 3 things that are "action" or situation-based. It's easy to say, "I'm thankful for my health, family, and the work that I do," but it can be mundane to say that each and every day.

So when I say action or situation-based, some examples are:
"I am grateful for the person that held the door for me earlier, which allowed me to catch the elevator up to the floor where I had a meeting. I arrived 5 mins faster than I would have if the door wasn't held for me."

"I am grateful for the woman who came out of a group presentation to stop me from leaving because I had arrived late. She said it was, "OK" for me to come in since they had just gotten started. If it wasn't for her, I would have ended up missing out on an excellent, educational presentation."

"I am grateful for the reaction I got from an acquaintance who I thought I may have inadvertently offended, and when I explained my side of the story, she was completely understanding about it."

So action or situation-based gratitude allows your mind to expand and help you view things from a different perspective.

Put Gratitude on your To Do list or Write in a Gratitude Journal

It's so easy for us to look back on our day and see what went wrong, or what didn't go as planned, or the crappy "stuff" you had to deal with.

Having gratitude as part of your "to do" allows you to look back on your day and think about what did go right. So why not list three things that were pleasant surprises or "feel goods"?

And writing these things down in a journal helps you keep track of everything that did go well. Documenting them daily allows you to look back at it every so often to see how things have progressed and that you have moved forward.

Allow Gratitude To Teach You How To Celebrate Milestones

When we think about our journey to success, a lot of us are like children on a long road trip always asking, “Are we there yet?”

And because of our own impatience related to where we are in our business or career, and despite our efforts on how far we've come, we can never tell whether or not we have progressed in any way.

If you are silently asking yourself this question, you may want to take a step back and ask a different question. "Am I headed in the direction that I want to go? Am I enjoying the ride?"

Consider mini-milestones or landmarks you met along the way and celebrate them, pay them gratitude. The more of those you are able to collect, the easier and less burdensome your trip or journey to success becomes. Most importantly, you even find a way to appreciate the bumps in the road.