November FAQ - Practicing Gratitude
One Friday, each month, I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership, or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.
I would like to practice gratitude more. What can I do to help in this area?
OK, I’ll admit I translated this question from similar types of comments or questions I have received over the year. Very few people ask specifically about being more grateful or practicing gratitude unless they have just read a book on it.
Why practice gratitude?
The answer to the question really depends on why you want to practice gratitude in your life. Becoming more consciously aware of what you are grateful for has many benefits. In a recent article, I addressed using gratitude for recognition purposes. This can be a compelling way to create stronger connections with your team and improve engagement. In this area, I would recommend starting small but very intentionally. Add to your weekly to-do list to specifically recognize someone you work with or someone important in your life for why you are grateful for them being in your world.
It can sound strange to make a list of people to recognize. It's OK - you don’t have to advertise that you have a list. But that list is an excellent way to begin building a habit. Ultimately, the best way to begin enjoying the benefits of practicing gratitude is to form a habit around it.
Do it for yourself
If you are looking to introduce more gratitude into your personal life, and you want to see more benefits individually, then starting a gratitude journal might be the best way to capture that. Your journal doesn’t have to be a big production. Again, start small - add it to your daily to-do list to list one or two things you are grateful for that day. Challenge yourself to have something different every day. I admit this is one I have been in and out of. I have started and stopped on this aspect more than once. It never fails, though, when I return to the practice, I feel better about the day.
You can choose to do this in the morning or the evening. Or a crazy thought might be to do both. Thinking about what you are grateful for in the morning can help you begin your day on a very positive note. At night, it is a nice way to reflect on the day and identify something meaningful to close out the day. Either way, keep it as simple as it needs to be for you. The real objective is to take the time and capture the thoughts. It doesn’t have to be lengthy in time or writing.
Gratitude for perspective
“How was your day?” That’s a common dinner time question and conversation. Think about your recent responses to that question. Was your answer global in nature? It was a bad day, or a tough day, for example? Was it really a bad day or were there a few bad moments? Pause on that for a moment. I am completely guilty of this. I take a few moments of a day that may have been frustrating or crazy and project that on to the entire day. That thought process clouds my ability to see the positives, even the small ones, when reflecting on the day. If you incorporate that into your response - whether asked or not - you can clear the way for a better vantage point on what you can be grateful for in your day.
At the moment, I am grateful for having the time to write this article and forcing myself to think deeper about this subject. I am better for it, and I am happy I can share my point of view.
Some additional reading for helping you get started practicing gratitude.
The Happiness Advantage - Shawn Anchor
The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
A couple of articles from the Leadership Freak blog (which is a great resource by the way)
THE THIRD STEP ON EVERYONE’S GRATITUDE JOURNEY WHERE MANY STUMBLE
THE 7 IMPOSSIBILITIES OF GRATITUDE
Gratitude is a remarkable practice to build a habit in. The benefits are endless in many ways.
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