What’s all this Gratitude ‘stuff’?
The computer’s broken down….
That client is a nightmare….
The kids are being demanding….
There’s not enough business coming through the door….
The weather is rubbish….
The team isn’t performing….
It’s really easy to get caught up in life, right? And boy, the frustrations of life can so easily take our vitality away.
Yep, I get that. I get that life happens and some days can be really hard going. And, there will be times when life is really, really tough.
Personally, I believe that things happen for a reason and that often they are a reflection, a mirror of what is happening within us. Yes, that’s deep and meaningful, and a topic for another blog (maybe). 🙂
Yet I also know that if we lift ourselves up from the frustration and sadness, and focus on gratitude ─ simply being grateful for all that we are and have ─ then life and our vitality for it changes in a heartbeat.
So what is gratitude? Put simply, it’s “the feeling of being thankful and appreciative”. It’s about taking a moment in time to reflect on all that is good; all that is beautiful; all that is abundant.
For me, gratitude is something I practise every day as I pound the pavement on my daily 6am power walks. During those walks, which is sacrosanct ‘me time’, I only think about the vision I have for my life, my goals, and all that I am grateful for.
Gratitude is being thankful for the big things and the smallest of things. It’s being thankful for the day, the clean air, the beauty and joy of life and living.
For me, it’s also being thankful for my wonderful family, my friends, my supportive team, my clients, my mentors, my coaches, my health and fitness, my successes, my failures (as they are learning opportunities), my love of learning, my desire and ability to travel and experience the world, our lovely home, our neighbours…
The list of things I am grateful for is endless.
Reliable research demonstrates that by experiencing the emotion of gratitude there is a positive impact on one’s mental and emotional state. Quite simply, we become happier… just because. Certainly that’s how being grateful impacts me. I am unconditionally happy and I love living my life that way.
Happiness is not dependent on income, achievement, health and fitness, or social status. It is a state of being regardless of all that. And research also shows that some of the happiest people on earth actually have the least and live in the most difficult of situations… go figure that!
In being grateful and happy, we attract more. We attract more prosperity and success in its widest definition.
We attract people as we are good to be around and they are energised by our enthusiasm.
Gratitude in business is critical. Our clients want to ‘feel’ that we are grateful for their business. If we are and they ‘feel’ it, then they are likely to become loyal and supportive; they become our cheerleaders. Team members ─ be they employees, outsourced team members or collaborators ─ will be more supportive of us if they feel that as people they are valued as well their contributions.
Glorious gratitude is like a muscle that needs to be worked on to improve it. It takes time and ongoing practice for it to be better and easier to do. The rewards are phenomenal though. Once worked on, the glorious gratitude muscle will simply kick in most of time in life, even during the hardest of times.
In teaching this technique to my clients, I am delighted to acknowledge that gratitude is forming a key part of their days; they are also happier and are achieving more success in their businesses and lives. Fantastic!!
Today, 31 March, is the shared birthday of my mother and mother in-law. Had they not succumbed to early deaths due to ill health, my mother would have been 76 years today and my mother in-law 81 years. While our families sit in quiet reflection today, there is much to be grateful for in the lives these important women led, all that they lived for, and all that they left as legacies to our family and friends who adored them. I honoured them both this morning by being even more grateful on my daily power walk, and I feel great. So, today is still a happy day for me.
I’d love to hear your own experiences with glorious gratitude and how it has positively impacted your life. Leave a comment below and share your gratitude stories.
Finally, how about tweeting about gratitude? Thank you in advance if it feels right for you to tweet this. Adèle x
Could some guidance from me be helpful to you? If so, please arrange a free 30 mins Skype strategy meeting with me. Here’s my calendar to book a meeting. I’d love to support you in some way to gain ‘seductive clarity’ in any aspect of your business or life.
Other articles on What Creates Success in Business and Life:
Success Breeds Success!
Success Secrets of Successful People
Adèle in a Nutshell – ‘To Give is to Live’
Reflect, Smile and Smell the Christmas Lilies!
The Beauty of the Last Hours in Life
Success Breeds Success – Tip #1
What’s Stopping You? FEAR?
Savour the Journey
The 7 Traits of High Achievers
What’s Your Excuse? No Arms? No Legs?
