You just came through Thanksgiving and a focus on gratitude. It felt good, didn’t it? Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and one reason (as if turkey and stuffing weren’t enough!) is because I’m spending more time thinking grateful thoughts. Expressing gratitude puts me in a better state of mind.
A better state of mind can lead to better things in life, one being better decisions. Yes, there are many reasons to practice gratitude every day, and I hope you do. But for this week, I want you to see how gratitude can affect your decision making.
Each day, you make decisions… big, explicit decisions about budgets and staff. Or, small decisions made on the fly, like during a meeting or at lunch. Before making the decision, or as you’re preparing for a situation that is going to require decisiveness, take 2 minutes to do a gratitude exercise. For each item, think of something you’re grateful for:
- Something at work, even if it is something as simple as a regular paycheck.
- Someone you’re close to and why you’re grateful for them. Bonus points if you tell them, too!
- One quality about you and why. Self appreciation is critical!
Practice gratitude and see if it doesn’t put you in a better state of mind. A better state of mind will lead to better decisions. Better decisions lead to better things, which is what you’re meant for. Make Monday special! It’ll change your whole week.
Some articles for further reading
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201511/the-healing-power-gratitude
- http://kulraj.org/2015/10/25/the-power-of-gratitude/
- https://medium.com/thrive-global/a-thanksgiving-gratitude-manifesto-574e774075bd
Thank you for reading and feedback is welcome and encouraged.