“Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the Attitude of Gratitude is the most important and by far most life changing” Zig Ziglar
| Coined by motivational guru Zig Ziglar—who, at the time, was arguably the most beloved speaker worldwide—Zig was full of joy and the “attitude of gratitude.” He was known to answer his home phone, “This is Jean Ziglar’s happy husband.” And, from all accounts he was full of happiness and joy. And, it boiled down to gratitude. Zig was raised dirt poor by his widowed mother who instructed her 11 children—despite their poverty—to work hard, love one another and always, always say “thank you.” Zig told a friend, “Without gratitude, happiness is rare. With gratitude, the odds for happiness go up dramatically.” With gratitude toward your clients, your business bottom line will look happier too. |
This Thanksgiving sense the joy of thankfulness
Dale Carnegie famously said that we all crave to be appreciated, to be recognized, to be admired. And those who know how to satisfy this craving will hold people in the palm of their hand. He also noted the person giving thanks creates just as many positive feelings in themselves as in those who receive the thanks.
How to Feel Gratitude
Keep a journal. Every week record five reasons to feel gratitude, and review the entries often. A study by psychologists Emmons & McCullough found that “Participants who kept weekly journals… were more optimistic towards the upcoming week and life as a whole, spent more time exercising, and had less… physical illness.”
How to Show Gratitude
Shout it from the rooftop. Tell the world you are thankful for your health and life and friendships! Look around at the suffering in the world and give thanks that you can help those in need. But “feeling gratitude…” is only half of the equation. You must show gratitude.
- Put it on paper. Today, emails are the main vehicle for showing gratitude. Really stand out and send a physical note.
- Teach thankfulness. Showing gratitude to employees or coworkers teaches them how to show gratitude to each other.
- Go public with praise. Feature someone who performs above and beyond on your website or blog. And tell their supervisor that you are thankful for their performance.
- Approve the disapproving. Dealing with difficult coworkers, hard-to-please customers, or unhappy business associates? Swallow hard, and find something to appreciate in them anyway.
| Over this Thanksgiving holiday, share the words of author Marcel Proust, “Let us be grateful to people who bring us happiness, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” |
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you will be thankful you did!
