{"id":39002,"date":"2017-11-21T04:45:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T10:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=39002"},"modified":"2017-11-21T04:45:25","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T10:45:25","slug":"gratitude-and-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/gratitude-and-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Surprising Power of Thank You"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Thank you.” These are two words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, performance, and success. Research tells us grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. It reduces stress<\/a>, improves our sleep, and floods our bodies with endorphins that energize us, instead of hormones that leave us feeling drained and depleted.<\/p>\n

Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. In fact, the number one reason why people leave their jobs is that they don't feel appreciated. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important not only to practice gratitude yourself but also to foster a culture of gratitude with your team and organization.<\/p>\n

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Thankfully, gratitude is like a muscle. The more we do with it the stronger it gets. In this spirit here are five ways to put the power of “thank you” to work today:<\/p>\n

1. Take a daily thank you walk<\/h3>\n

I started this practice fifteen years ago and it has changed my life. It\u2019s simple, it\u2019s powerful, and it\u2019s a great way to feed yourself with positivity. How does it work? You simply take a ten-to-thirty minute walk outside, in a mall, around your office, on a treadmill, or anywhere else you can think of<\/em> and think about all the things\u2014big and small\u2014you are grateful for.<\/p>\n

When you combine gratitude with physical exercise you give yourself a double boost of positive energy. You flood your brain and body with positive emotions and natural antidepressants that uplift you rather than the stress hormones that drain your energy and slowly kill you.<\/p>\n

2. Practice meal-time thank you's<\/h3>\n

When having a meal with your friends and family or coworkers, go around the table and have each person say what they are thankful for. Encourage people to expand on why they are thankful. Not only will this help frame the meal towards a positive perspective, it\u2019s also an opportunity for you to get to know each other better by understanding what each other values.<\/p>\n

3. Make a gratitude visit<\/h3>\n

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology<\/a>, suggests 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.<\/p>\n

Yes, it might feel odd\u2014but it works. Try it. Today schedule and make a gratitude visit to an old boss or mentor, a friend who helped you through a tough time, a family member or someone who made a difference in your life.<\/p>\n

4. Say thank you at work<\/h3>\n

According to a John Templeton study<\/a> of 2,000 Americans, we are least likely<\/em> to feel or express gratitude at work. And when we\u2019re listing what we\u2019re grateful for, or jobs come in dead last. It doesn't have to be like that.<\/p>\n

When Doug Conant was CEO of Campbell Soup he wrote approximately 30,000 thank you notes to his employees and energized the company in the process. Leaders can energize and engage their teams by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

5. Be positively contagious<\/h3>\n

Research shows that emotions are contagious<\/a>. Sincere smiles, kind words, encouragement, praise and positive energy infect people in a positive way. On the flip side, your people are just as likely to catch your bad mood as the flu.<\/p>\n

So each day you come to work you have a choice: You can be a germ or a big dose of Vitamin C. When you choose to be positively contagious your positive energy has a positive impact on your colleagues and ultimately your culture. Your team will remember very little of what you said, but they will remember 100 percent of how you made them feel.<\/p>\n\t\t