The Positive Power of Gratitude

Taking time to think of good things that have happened can have a huge impact on us. It can lift spirits and produce a positive change in a workplace, says Graeme Owen from The Successful Builder

Researchers from the University of California, Davis had a group of people keep a daily written journal. After several weeks, those who recorded what they were grateful for experienced dramatically better physical and mental results than those who either wrote about negative experiences, or just wrote about anything. Moreover, they were more physically active and got sick less often.

It seems that just by thinking and writing positive things, we can re-wire our brain to serve us better and re-learn new ways of thinking! What’s more, we can learn ways of thinking that can help us experience life differently. 

For many of us, the last few years have been defined by struggle, pressure, hardships and change. Will the next years be more of the same? Who knows! I don’t, but I do know that whatever the next year holds, by practising gratitude, you can have more control over how you, your team and your family experience it. 

So, here are four tips to embed gratitude into your business.

1. Switch Gears

Builders are experts at casting a critical eye over a job and noticing when something is missing, out of plumb or poorly aligned. It’s an essential trade skill for delivering a great product. 

However, when it spills over into all other areas and becomes a negative and critical perspective on everything and everyone, it can be destructive. That’s when we need to switch gears mentally and shift from being critical – always searching for what’s wrong – to being more focused on what is right. 

Not many people want to work with someone who is continually grouchy! 

2. Give Praise

If you lead a team and want to get the best out of them, then give them heaps of praise for things they have done well. How can you help set them up for success? Set tasks and goals that are achievable, give clear written instructions so they can complete the job satisfactorily and then give them credit for what they have completed – before discussing any areas where they have not achieved. 

When discussing poor workmanship, mistakes or rework, encourage them to come up with solutions first. Compliment them for their attempts and, when showing them how to do something your way, congratulate them when they ‘get it’. 

Praise teaches others to focus on what they can do and unlocks their brain to search for even better solutions, whereas criticism produces resentment and stalls action. 

Giving praise also teaches our brains to look for the best in situations. That has to be good. 

Plus, people love working for people who bring out their best. 

3. Say Thank you

It’s amazing how good we feel when someone says ‘thank you’ for something we have done or said. It makes us want to do even more, doesn’t it? 

So, if you find yourself not saying thank you, then make a concerted effort to do so. Crank up your appreciation of those who do stuff for you. Thank the sales assistant at your suppliers. Thank your subbies for turning up. Thank your team for staying until the end of the day or working a little longer to get something finished.

Thank your life partner for contributing to your life. Thank your kids for putting up with you when you have been under the pump. And don’t forget to celebrate your own accomplishments each day. Appreciate yourself and all that you do to keep your business going –  especially in difficult times! 

You see, being thankful is a way of training yourself to expect good things to happen. Furthermore, when you expect good things to happen, you are more likely to approach each day with confidence in your ability to do what you need to. 

People like being around confident people. 

4. Make Notes

Take it a step further and start acknowledging what you are grateful for on paper. Find at least one thing each day that you are grateful for and write it in your journal. Do this consistently for two weeks and then check out where your thinking has been transformed the most. You might be surprised! 

If you wish, you can extend this to your family. Each time something good happens to a family member, write it down on a slip of paper with the date and put it in a gratitude jar. Then every so often (monthly or at the end of the year) open the jar and celebrate the good things that have happened to you as a family. And then start looking for the good things that are going to happen in the next month/year. 

Takeaway

The thing is, if we can learn to practise gratitude, we can rewire our brains to see the positive rather than the negative. When we do so, our entire body – attitude, feelings, emotions, capacity to enjoy life, sense of freedom, physical and emotional health –  will improve along with our change in perspective. These changes can have a positive impact on a company’s culture. 

So, rewiring our brains through gratitude could be a worthwhile practice. Wouldn’t you agree?  

 

Graeme Owen is a builders’ business coach at thesuccessfulbuilder.com. Since 2006, he has helped builders throughout New Zealand get off the tools, make decent money, and get more time in their lives. Grab a copy of his free book: The 15 Minute Sales Call Guaranteed To Increase Your Conversion Rate or join Trademates and connect with builders who are scaling too.