How Gratitude Guides Your Business

Gratitude is a word often associated with this Thanksgiving week. But oftentimes when we think about gratitude, we simply apply it to our home and personal lives. It’s not often gratitude shifts into our business brains. It’s hard to practice when thinking of finances and other business operations. And it’s not something we readily talk about as fundamentally important to our business. But the truth is, without gratitude, we would have no sustained growth. Short bursts of success rarely acknowledge giving thanks. But those successes are short for a reason. And they fail in time from an absence of good values at the core. Without gratitude, culture diminishes and becomes stagnated and undesirable. Innovation lulls and ceases. And followers begin to unfollow.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~William Arthur Ward

What Is Gratitude?

Gratitude is considered a “social emotion”. And when practiced consistently, it has the power to strengthen relationships. This is because gratitude requires us to see how we are supported and affirmed by others. Gratitude is quite frankly, powerful. And when it’s genuine, it has the power to keep you positive when you’re receiving less than positive feedback. That’s why the power of trying to shift your thinking is so critical.

Studies have shown that it takes three positives to outweigh the impact of one negative. Said differently, we absorb negative criticism three times as hard as a positive comment. Which when you think about it, it makes sense. After all, even a small bit of criticism can often overshadow any kind of praise or compliment. But the bad news is that as a culture, we tend to give 10 times more negative feedback than positive. No wonder most of us feel so drained and worried all the time.

Why Practice Gratitude?

For our businesses and teams to thrive, we must be open to practicing and showing thankfulness. And not just during this week, but throughout the course of the year. The ability to be grateful is the key to life balance and happiness. And just as your career life can blend into your personal life, gratefulness also transcends into a business. Gratitude is the core of effective growth – both personal and in regard to business. However, it is up to us to give it more thought and make it a practice.

Gratitude Builds Trust and Inspires Excellence

It’s important to practice gratitude when you’re giving feedback as well. Fortunately, being grateful is “easy”. It costs us nothing, builds our own internal emotional resilience. And it can even empower those around us. If you feel like people on your team are lagging behind or disengaging, try reaching out and expressed gratitude for their work. Remind them of their worth and the strengths they bring to the table. Remind them that they are a crucial element to your valued team. Negative feedback results in lower engagement, high turnover and, quite frankly, substandard work. Gratitude builds overall moral. And it subconsciously encourages stronger engagement and trust. Just by saying “thank you for all you do, you’re appreciated”, you may see a higher quality of work.

An Example of How Being Thankful Shaped Entrepreneurial Success

  “Before I had adopted the attitude of thankfulness in business, I was not seeing the success I wanted. This negative mindset warped the 5-year plan I had set. And I felt as if I was getting nowhere.

I started submersing myself in this culture of affirmations and gratitude. The idea of viewing failure as an opportunity and being gracious for setbacks in business was eye-opening This type of mindset was intriguing. And my intuition led me to start making this a daily habit to become more conscious of my thoughts and attitude.

This switch in having a gracious mindset plays a huge role in the success of my business today. The voice of my business has strengthened along with the way I come across on live video. Having a thankful mentality and incorporating this in my morning routine as a business owner has shaped my mindset to be more productive and positive.”

— Haley Burkhead, CEO of marketbeautifully.com

Another Example of How Gratitude Inspires

According to Dr. Jodi Ashbrook, Inspirational Speaker, Author, Founder of The Yoga Movement & Co-Founder of Elevate Higher Ed, “Gratitude allows us to press pause on whatever negative chaos is surrounding us, and take a moment to simply focus on what is working, what is going well, and something as simple as breathing.

In between meetings or stressful email marathon responses, I often take 30 seconds to zone in on deep inhales and exhales including affirmations of gratefulness to release stress and recognize how grateful I truly am to be in a position where I have the power to lead and influence others in a positive way. Shifting my perspective on a regular basis to embrace gratitude through my meditation practice in challenging business situations helps me to deflect negativity when I need to find my calm, refocus, and get inspired to visualize the path ahead more clearly and make pivotal decisions with confidence.

How to Improve Your Business: Practice Gratitude Every Single Day

Of course, the notion of “gratitude” is reflected in this week more than any other time during the year. This Thanksgiving is a perfect opportunity to acknowledge and remember the proven benefits of gratitude. Put the work in and try it out on your loved ones. Remember the sparks in their eye and the joy in your heart as you tell them why you are grateful for them. Use that to inspire you to do the same to your employees. And use this holiday time to consider how to show thanks in your workplace, not just during the holiday season, but year-round. If you want to see how this makes business sense check our the law of attraction in marketing and business

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at onCOREventures!

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Not Sure Where to Start with Your Marketing Plan?

The world of marketing is rapidly expanding. What’s trending and helping you gain new customers today won’t necessarily be the best way to grow your business tomorrow. With so many moving parts in both the digital and physical marketing space, it’s no wonder small business owners are unsure where they should even start. That’s where the Pittsburgh marketing agency onCOREventures Strategic Marketing comes in. We created onCOREventures for honest business owners wanting to operate in harmony with their core values. If you’re trying to create positive change in the world while also attracting customers who share your values, our “strategy first” methodology may be exactly what you’ve been looking for!