In the
spirit of Thanksgiving I'd love to share with you the benefits and power of two
simple words. THANK YOU.
They are two words that have the power to transform
our health, happiness, athletic performance and success. Research shows that
grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. A
state of gratitude, according to research by the Institute of HeartMath, also
improves the heart's rhythmic functioning, which helps us to reduce stress,
think more clearly under pressure and heal physically. It's actually
physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. When
you are grateful you flood your body and brain with emotions and endorphins that
uplift and energize you rather than the stress hormones that drain you.
Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a
healthy work environment. In fact, the number one reason why people leave their
jobs is because they don't feel appreciated. A simple thank you and a show of
appreciation can make all the difference.
Gratitude is like muscle. The more we do with it
the stronger it gets. In this spirit here are 4 ways to practice Thanksgiving
every day of the year.
1. Take a Daily Thank You Walk - I
wrote about this in The
Energy Bus and The
Positive Dog. Take a simple 10-minute walk each day and say out loud
what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day.
2. Meal Time Thank You's - On
Thanksgiving, or just at dinner with your friends and family, go around the
table and have each person, including the kids at the little table, say what
they are thankful for.
3. Gratitude Visit - Martin
Seligman, Ph.D., the father of positive psychology, suggests that we write a
letter expressing our gratitude to someone. Then we visit this person and read
them the letter. His research shows that people who do this are measurably
happier and less depressed a month later.
4. Say Thank You at Work – When
Doug Conant was the CEO of Campbell Soup he wrote approximately 30,000 thank you
notes to his employees and energized the company in the process. Energize and
engage your co-workers and team by letting them know you are grateful for them
and their work. Organizations spend billions of dollars collectively on
recognition programs but the best and cheapest recognition program of all
consists of a sincere THANK YOU. And of course don’t forget to say thank you to
your clients and customers too.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you
for allowing me to share this newsletter with you. I’m thankful for YOU.
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