{"id":31620,"date":"2016-11-25T04:45:17","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T10:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=31620"},"modified":"2016-11-25T04:45:17","modified_gmt":"2016-11-25T10:45:17","slug":"why-giving-thanks-gives-you-an-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/why-giving-thanks-gives-you-an-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Giving Thanks Gives You an Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Duke University\u2019s Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in college basketball. His players have won over a thousand games and five national championships. And I know his secret.<\/p>\n\n

Before their 2015 tournament, Coach K and his players and coaches wrote the names of people who had helped them on a ball. They took it with them everywhere they went.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers started carrying the ball around\u2014to team meals, on the plane, at practices, in the locker room,\u201d Coach K told Success<\/em> magazine<\/a>. \u201cSome of the guys even slept with it\u2014had it right there with them in their rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

It kept gratitude at the center of their game. And it helped them win. Why?<\/p>\n

There are several reasons, but here\u2019s one we probably don\u2019t think about enough: Positive emotions like gratitude<\/a> help us become more resilient<\/a>. I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019ve never met anyone who wins at very much for very long without resiliency.<\/p>\n\n

What\u2019s the connection? The are at least three ways gratitude encourages resilience. And these apply to athletes, entrepreneurs, parents, leaders \u2026 anyone.<\/p>\n

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  1. Gratitude keeps us hopeful.<\/strong> Gratitude is a contrast game. We remember something one way, then something else happened to improve it. Suddenly, we have something to be thankful for.\n

    That process teaches us something critical about life. While our circumstances might be bad, they can also be better. And our stories prove it to us again and again. Gratitude keeps us positive, optimistic, and able to keep coming back for more when life throws obstacles in our way.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. Gratitude reminds us that we have agency.<\/strong> This might seem counterintuitive, but it\u2019s true\u2014and super, super important. It seems counterintuitive because gratitude involves giving thanks for what we couldn\u2019t<\/em> manage on our own. But you know what they say about unopened gifts.\n

    If we didn\u2019t use our agency to receive and act on what others have done for us, we wouldn\u2019t have benefited.<\/p>\n

    Coach K and his players highlight this. None of them would have made it to the tournament without the names on that ball, but they still did the blocking, shooting, and rebounding. And because of what they were already doing with the gifts others had given, they knew they could keep blocking, shooting, and rebounding.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Gratitude expands our possible responses.<\/strong> I talk a lot about the difference between abundance and scarcity<\/a> and how it affects our lives. Gratitude moves us into a place of abundance\u2014a place where we\u2019re more resourceful, creative, generous, optimistic, and kind. When we\u2019re operating from a place of scarcity, it tends to make us reactionary, close-minded, tight-fisted, gloomy, and even mean.<\/p>\n

    Positive emotions, say researchers<\/a>, \u201cbroaden one\u2019s thought\u2013action repertoire, expanding the range of cognitions and behaviors that come to mind. These broadened mindsets, in turn, build an individual\u2019s physical, intellectual, and social resources.\u201d In other words, make us more resilient.<\/p>\n

    They call it the \u201cbroaden-and-build theory.\u201d But most of us know this from practical experience. We feel better, perform better, and respond to life\u2019s ups and downs better when we\u2019re grateful.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t