September 21st is World Gratitude Day. With still so much uncertainty, this day is a good opportunity for us to pause, reflect and show appreciation for the small things that we have in our lives.
Benefits of gratitude, according to research:
- Associated with greater happiness
- Helps relish good experiences
- Helps you deal better with adversity
- Improves health and wellbeing
- Improves sleep
- Can enhance professional and social skills
According to researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, leaders who remember to say “thank you” to people who work for them may find that those employees feel motivated to work harder. While thanking a new acquaintance, such as a prospective client, makes that person more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.
There are many ways that you can celebrate World Gratitude Day within your workplace and show appreciation and gratitude for those that you work with.
How to celebrate World Gratitude at work:
- Host a team ‘Gratitude Catch Up’ over video chat.
- Complete a virtual Gratitude Board where staff can share what they are most grateful for. Tools like Google Jamboard make online collaboration really easy. Check out the board I recently created with my team here.
- Start your meetings off by asking your colleagues, “what has gone well for you today/this week?”
- Encourage lunch breaks to be taken outside, where you can be thankful for the beauty of nature and the world around us.
- Volunteer, offer a donation, give back to the community or help those that are less fortunate, to show appreciation for your own positive circumstances.
While I encourage you to incorporate gratitude into your everyday routine, even if you take just one day out a year to formally express gratitude and appreciation for the many wonderful things in your life, this action has the potential to positively impact wellbeing and make you a happier, more contented person. How can you say no to that?
