THE POWER OF THANK YOU
In the spirit of Thanksgiving this week 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 5 ways to practice Thanksgiving every day of the year.
1. Take a Daily Thank You Walk - I started this practice 15 years ago and it changed my life. Take a
simple 10-30 minute walk each day and say out loud what you are thankful
for. This will set you up for a positive day. I wrote more about this
in The Positive Dog.
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.
5. Say Thank you and Goodnight – At bedtime reflect on your day, identify and share all that you are thankful for. If you have children you can read Thank You and Goodnight with them and add to it.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for allowing me to share this newsletter with you. I'm thankful for YOU.
-Jon
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Thank You and Good Night
Public Leadership Training 
