Small Business Success 3 Ways Gratitude Can Grow Your Business
I love Thanksgiving. Its my favorite holiday. Family food friends and football thrown in for good measure. But I digress.
What I REALLY like about Thanksgiving is its about giving thanks. And I think gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions out there. Why is it so powerful? Because it has the capacity to change your life.
My business and life are going great right now better than I had planned but it hasnt always been that way. There were plenty of times where things were looking pretty bleak. During one particularly bleak time a friend told me to just start listing everything I had in my life to be grateful for. Now when things are looking pretty bad it can be easy to say everything sucks I have nothing to be grateful for. But if were honest we know that isnt true. Theres always something no matter how small that is in your life you can be grateful for and sometimes you just need to take a step back to see it.
Whats so amazing about gratitude is its so simple yet it has so much power in fact its so powerful it can start turning things around for you. Now granted being grateful all by itself will probably not turn a sinking business into a profitable one. But it CAN be the catalyst to a transformation.
Why does this work? Well if youre a fan of the Secret and law of attraction youve heard the phrase what you focus on expands. So if you focus on all the things youre grateful for instead of all the things that arent working the universe will bring you more things to be grateful for and less of the things that arent working.
Now while I do think this is true I also know a lot of people do not believe this or dont think its true for them. So might I suggest another more practical reason for why gratitude works because it makes you feel better.
Yes if you start to think about all the wonderful things that are in your life and that you have to be grateful for things dont look quite so bleak. Youre able to break even for just a few moments the funk you might have sunk into. And with that improved mindset you most likely can see your situation a bit more clearer and start coming up with some solutions and maybe even take some actions to get yourself out of it.
But gratitude isnt just about when things are going wrong its also powerful when things are going right. When youre on top of the world its still an amazing practice to give thanks. If nothing else it gives you a moment to fully appreciate how wonderful things are right now. And isnt that a nice feeling to enjoy?
So how do you start adding a practice of gratitude to your life? Here are 3 tips to get you started:
1. Feelings are important. Its not enough to just think about being grateful you have to feel grateful as well. When you think about all the things youre grateful for really feel that gratitude throughout your body. Focus on it and feel it radiate everywhere from your fingers to your toes. Another tip is to imagine you have a dial in front of you and when you turn up that dial youre amplifying that emotion. It only takes a few moments to do but the results are amazing. Try it and see if you dont feel so much better afterwards.
2. Write it down. My coach Melanie Benson Strick Success Connections has a great daily journal which includes a space to write 5 things youre grateful for each day. Writing is a physical activity so again youre anchoring that gratitude feeling in your body. If youre really struggling right now I would suggest taking a few minutes and writing down everything youre grateful for each day.
3. Put out a reminder. My grandfather gave me a stuffed bear. But not just any stuffed bear this bear has a little button on it and a story. The story is a bit longer than what I want to get into now but the gist of it is this the bear comes from a magical land and represents an emotion. When you push the button and give it a hug the emotion is released. My particular bear is about love. Ive put the bear out so I can see it every day and when I see it it reminds me to be grateful. And yes sometimes I push the button and give it a hug as well.
I agree its a little silly. But it works. And if theres something you can put out that reminds you to be grateful then its an easy way to make being grateful a daily part of your routine.
It only takes a few minutes but the results can be amazing. I challenge all of you to try it for 30 days and see if your business and your life start to improve.
About the writer: Michele PW Michele Pariza Wacek is your KaChing! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com. Copyright 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek.
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