Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Brian McDonald, Founder of MOR Associates. Brian may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
One of the simplest practices recommended in the MOR Leaders Program is the adoption of giving three gratitudes as a daily routine. Doing this every day for 28 days can positively change your brain chemistry. You are much more likely to notice the many significant as well as everyday things for which you are grateful. Writing these down makes an imprint on your brain more so than typing these or saying these.
In coaching a senior leader who decided to practice gratitude, he shared how challenging it became after a week or two to find new items to be grateful for. He kept repeating that he was grateful for his health, family, and a job that helped support his family. These are broad categories to be thankful for, with many specifics within.
I was stunned after adopting the three gratitudes myself and writing them down for 56 days. I hardly ever wrote only three, and I often stopped at ten on many days just to leave a few on the table for the next day. There were so many aspects of life one could recognize and appreciate.
As we approach Thanksgiving, this is the perfect time to reflect on the many things we are grateful for. We can begin when we stir in the morning and awaken to a new day as this quote by Marcus Aurelius going back to around 160 AD amplifies:
When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege
it is to be alive —
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
In this one statement, this Roman Emperor shared four aspects of life for which he was grateful: to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to love.
As we approach our Thanksgiving holiday, we are encouraged by this tradition to pause and give thanks. We hope there is much in your life for which you can be grateful.
Hopefully you are blessed with good health. Hopefully you are blessed with a caring family and friends who bring a connection and joy to your life.
May you also find satisfaction in your roles at work and elsewhere. As Jane, a participant in a current program, mentioned a coworker who shared this perspective: “I’m so grateful to work here. I have had jobs where I dreaded getting out of bed in the morning, and now I wake up every morning happy to be coming into work.” Jane reflected, changing her own perspective, “That little conversation stopped me in my tracks. I was having a horrible day but the act of someone openly sharing their gratitude allowed me to step back and put everything into perspective.” Could you be that person that changes someone else’s perspective?
Anyone who has experienced a lay-off, often for economic reasons that had nothing to do with performance, realizes having a job and a means of support is something for which to be grateful.
Maybe you want to be the person who expresses gratitude that shifts the perspective of those around you.
As you reflect on the people who have encouraged you, saw potential in you, mentored you, and created opportunities for you, it is helpful to pause and appreciate the fact these individuals invested in you. During this Thanksgiving season, you may want to send a note to someone as you pause and recognize the people in life for whom you are grateful.
After leaving a MOR workshop and being grateful for the safe space and supportive community, one manager came into work wondering how to create a similar environment.
“To be honest, I was a little nervous about doing this but coming off the MOR workshop I found the courage. At my team’s monthly meeting, we were doing introductions for a new member of the group. I asked everyone to share something that they are either proud of, excited about or grateful for. It did not have to be work related. It was AMAZING sitting there and listening to people share. One person had just received a professional accolade from a faculty member that day, another member shared that he was excited to announce that he and his wife are expecting a baby, and several people shared gratitude towards their teammates and work environment. It was a very uplifting experience.”
Would you invite people in your team to share one thing for which they are grateful?
At our Thanksgiving table, we are fortunate to have 14 or more family members. We pause and take a few moments to invite each person to share one thing for which they are grateful before we enjoy this traditional meal.
Research in the Harvard Business Review indicates that gratitude improves well-being, reduces stress, and builds resilience. People are more willing to help others who have shown them gratitude.
If we look through the gratitude mindset, we can appreciate our many blessings.
We are grateful for this MOR community we have the opportunity to support. We are grateful for the facilitators, coaches, and leaders invested in enhancing the next generation of leaders. We are grateful for the sponsors who have entrusted MOR Associates to partner with them to further develop the leaders in their organizations.
Have a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude.
Brian and the MOR Team
As you reflect on being grateful, which of the following actions appeal to you most?
- Randomly share some gratitude with others
- Send a note of gratitude to someone you appreciate invested in you
- Look through a gratitude lens at your job or life and identify three aspects for which you are grateful
- Invite your colleagues at an upcoming meeting to have a go-around sharing one thing for which they are grateful
- Offer at your Thanksgiving table what you are grateful for
- Write down three gratitudes per day for the next 28 days
Last week, we asked which of the following best describes your current state:
- 24% said my area measures many things, and it’s hard to see the meaning.
- 22% said measures are something I’m thinking about for the future.
- 26% said my area measures a few things, but hasn’t made them meaningful.
- 18% said my area has some measures that we have made meaningful.
- 10% said my area does measures with meaning well.
Meaningful measures are complicated to get right. Congrats to the many readers who have figured them out. For the 1 in every 2 readers who have measures but could benefit from greater meaning, what’s the next step? How can you work toward getting more meaning in those measures? And for the 1 in 5 of us thinking about them for the future, perhaps developing meaningful measures could be a meaningful New Year’s resolution.