I’ve found that having an attitude of gratitude has been the secret to staying positive and hopeful.
In the words of the legendary motivator Zig Ziglar: “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”
I recently surveyed my Facebook friends, asking the question, “What are you grateful for?” As you might guess, these were some of the most common answers:
- Family
- Friends
- Faith
- Health
- Job/Clients
These were some of the answers that probably would not have been posted prior to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, but showed up in the Facebook responses:
- Ability to take a walk on the beach
- Zoom and Facetime with grandchildren
- Husband who loves to cook
- Quarantine Team (family and co-workers)
- Safety and sound mind..
ABCs of Gratitude
About a decade ago, I decided to list everything I was grateful for as part of a Thanksgiving edition of my monthly email Communique’.
To make my list manageable I created the ABCs of gratitude, stating something I was grateful for that started with each letter of the alphabet. Every couple years I write out an updated list to remind myself that I am blessed, especially when I’m going through a challenging time.
I’ve even started using this activity as a short sharing segment during my “Adapting, Succeeding and Thriving in the Workplace” keynotes. Participants pick something they’re grateful for that starts with the first three letters of the alphabet. A memorable moment occurred when a woman shared, she was grateful for her three grandchildren and their names began with an A, B, and C.
This can also be a creative team-building activity. In the past, I’ve suggested putting each letter on a tiny piece of paper in a jar and having each person select one. If you’re working remotely and leading a virtual meeting, you can pull out the letters. Either way, everyone gets a chance to share something for which they’re grateful.
You might even try using the gratitude-in-a-jar activity for yourself as a daily reminder. Keep the jar on your desk, pull out a letter when you need a boost, and think of something to be thankful for.
The gratitude items on my ABC list have changed periodically over the years and some have shifted dramatically during the pandemic. For example: R – “room service” was replaced by “recipes,” S – “speaking stage” became “safety,” and Z – “Zumba” turned into “Zoom.”
[This blog is an excerpt from Chapter 9 – This Too Shall Pass in Sarita’s new book Say What You Mean in a Nice Way published in October 2020]
See one of Sarita’s first ABCs of Gratitude lists. (May 2011)
