Attitude of Gratitude Helps Make GoalsWork

During this season people tend to contemplate, with thanks, the good fortune they receive in their lives. Friends and family gather round tables laden with bounteous food and take a moment to share with one another those elements in their lives for which they are grateful.

Studies indicate healthy benefits that arise from a constant attitude of gratitude. An attitude of gratitude enhances the probability you will achieve your goals. The second step of the GoalsWork model recognizes that others will help you achieve your goals. Common decency dictates that you thank the people that help you accomplish you goals.This blog outlines a few simple ways to maintain an attitude of gratitude and the benefits you will accrue by doing so.

Send a Handwritten Thank You Card Each Day

Larry H. Miller, billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, took time every day to hand write and send a thank you card to at least one person. He attributed this action as one of the keys to his success.

First, he said, knowing that he would write a card each day heightened his attention to what people did. He looked for good work from employees, colleagues, vendors, suppliers, and others. This focus on recognizing the positive contributions people made lifted his spirits, eased him through the trials, and brought perspective to his sense of ego and self-importance. Recognizing the contributions of others helped him realize how much he depended on others good works.

Second, the handwritten nature of the cards touched people. They sensed the sincerity of his gratitude. They worked harder to do add value to the relationship professional or otherwise because they knew it meant something to Mr. Miller. They also told others about the thank you cards they received. Larry Miller's reputation for gratitude increased his stature in the community.

We encourage you to also start looking for someone each day that you can send a simple, handwritten thank you card. Buy one box of thank you cards and send one a day until they are gone. Analyze how this actions made you feel and changed your attitude.

List 10 Things Each Day

Another daily activity that can change your view of trials and problems: end the day by writing down 10 things for which you can express gratitude. Similar to the benefit Larry H. Miller found, knowing that you have list 10 things each day, enhances your attention to good things that happen in your life.

I belong to a community service organization. The president of the local chapter asked participants to participate in this activity for one month. Several of the people who participated commented on the happiness this exercise brought them. One lady who had experienced multiple losses, despair, and negativity discovered an attitude of gratitude changed her perspective on life.

Germany Kent declared "It's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack." (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/attitude-of-gratitude)