When I asked successful business and thought leaders how they prepared to reach their goals in the upcoming year, several said gratitude gave them an edge.<\/p>\n\n
Some mentioned setting aside special time to reflect and express gratitude for all the positive they experienced. This close to Thanksgiving, that seems perfect this time of year. But why stop there?<\/p>\n
Jon Gordon told me practicing gratitude one day a year isn\u2019t enough<\/a>. \u201cIf you do it daily,\u201d he said, \u201cyou\u2019ll notice incredible benefits and major life change.\u201d The science backs him up.<\/p>\n One of the challenges in reaching our long-term goals is getting derailed by short-term gains. These are decisions that look good in the moment\u2014instant gratification usually does. But they actually prevent us from making progress or even set us back.<\/p>\n See if you recognize any of these:<\/p>\n We get the short-term win from the purchase, the rest, and the project completion. But we lose the long-term payoffs that only come from reaching our goals: financial security, physical health, and lasting connection with our kids.<\/p>\n\n It\u2019s true for all kinds of goals. What Jon and many others realize is that gratitude is the difference maker.<\/p>\n Why? There are at least three reasons gratitude can help you stay the course and reach your goals:<\/p>\n Emmons and Mishra said there\u2019s a prevailing (but unproven) idea out there that gratitude can leave people feeling complacent. If I\u2019ve got enough, then maybe I don\u2019t need to achieve more<\/em>. Instead, they determined, \u201cgratitude enhances effortful goal striving.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n David DeSteno of Northwestern University led a study<\/a> where participants were asked to recall an event that made them feel grateful, happy, or neutral. After writing about it, they reported their mood and then made a series of financial decisions.<\/p>\n If they wanted, they could take a cash reward at the end of the session or receive a larger amount by check in the mail at a later date. The grateful were happy to wait for the bigger payout. \u201cOn average, we increased people\u2019s financial patience by about 12 percent,\u201d said DeSteno<\/a>. \u201c[I]magine if you could increase people\u2019s savings by that much.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Gratitude lowers your stress.<\/strong> People fall for instant gratification because indulgence and avoidance are both attractive ways of coping with stress. But we all know they\u2019re not effective in the long run, and we\u2019ve got the bills and ill-fitting clothes to prove it.<\/p>\n It turns out gratitude is a far more effective way to cope with stress. Maybe not on Thanksgiving Day itself! But after looking at several different studies, Emmons and Mishra conclude, \u201c[T]he evidence strongly supports the supposition that gratitude promotes adaptive coping and personal growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\n
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