2019 is upon us! What does this mean for you? Are you looking for change? Are you just happy to see the end of last year?
I don’t believe in New Years Resolution, (and the evidence suggests that for the large majority it doesn’t work) so can I challenge you to start the year a little differently? How about starting the year in Gratitude? What do I mean by this?
Oxford Dictionary describes gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
I prefer Robert Emmon’s (scientific expert on Gratitude) description - “First, it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.”
In the second part of gratitude, he explains, “we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. … We acknowledge that other people—or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset—gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.”
The social dimension is important to gratitude as it requires you to see how you have been supported and affirmed by other people.
Gratitude is not just words it is something you need to practice and work on daily.
A simple place to start if you haven’t practiced gratitude before is to:
1) Write it down – This is the best place to start. If it is your first time, I would consider what you were grateful for 2018. Use online resources if you are short of ideas. Work from there into considering a journal either daily or weekly. They don’t all need to be massive events, its ok to be grateful for the perfect coffee from the Barista in the morning! It’s all about being aware of those moments in your life.
2) Talk about it with others – share what you are grateful for with others, your team, your spouse, your children. Showing and sharing gratitude opens the door for others to do the same. I often find this a great practice to do with my children before we discuss affirmations.
3) Prayer / Meditation – this is a great place to consider all you have to be grateful for.
4) Share it directly with others – our team at Aurec regularly share gratitude for each other. This has strengthened our team, culture and results.
The more you practice gratitude the easier it becomes. There are many tools and resources available online for those who are interested.
The benefits for gratitude have been well researched and include but are not limited to:
1) Better relationships
2) Improves physical and psychological health
3) Increases empathy and reduces aggression
4) Increases and improves sleep
5) Improves self esteem
6) Increases mental strength and resilience
So what are you waiting for? Grab and pen and paper at your lunch break or during your commute today and consider all the things you are grateful for. Better yet, share them with your team and/or sit down with your loved ones when you get home!
What are you grateful for? Share your thoughts and feedback below.
For a deeper overview on gratitude and its benefits check out these links:
This article is originally published at www.matthewcossens.com/blog/
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