Blog

by Nadene Joy

Gratitude emanates from humility and emerges from a kind of reverence, awe and wonder and is contagious for all the good that surrounds us. Gratitude can heal individual hearts, restore broken homes and renew crumbling communities and nations.

In a world that serves up a steady stream of instant gratification, it is easy to become entrenched in, and eventually enslaved by, an "ingratitude-inducing" entitlement mentality. When we humbly turn our attention towards the grace we receive from the selfless service of others, we find gratitude and an astronomical amount of goodness. It’s easy to become distracted by instant gratification of the internet and ever advancing technologies in our world.  This is why it is more important than ever to incorporate a daily habit and mindset of gratitude.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis also turned to the spirit of gratitude when he stated, “It is a contagious gratitude that helps every one of us to be grateful toward those who take care of our needs.” Gratitude grows as we turn our attention toward and show reverence for the “givers” in our lives — human and divine.

"You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.” 

The Wealth and Gratitude Connection

There are numerous studies surrounding the phenomenon of why family fortunes and wealth do not get passed down beyond a generation or two. This is especially perplexing in cases where, given the assets available, the wealth should perpetuate forever. Celebrated multigenerational wealth expert, Lee Brower, often touts "ingratitude" as the No. 1 reason why wealth doesn’t continue from generation to generation.

Gratitude must be at the core of any approach to wealth management. Total wealth includes gratitude not only for an abundance of tangible assets but also for the equally real assets of character, principles, vision, goals, deep relationships, personal connections and meaningful memories.

The courage to face our own ingratitude may be one of the most daunting tests of personal character. 

Albert Einstein once powerfully quoted, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Did you know that ingratitude simply cannot exist in the same space where awe, wonder and thankfulness create the miraculous in the midst of the common? Recognizing the miraculous all around us is the beginning of healing with gratitude at the core.

Gratitude in Business

When the habit of gratitude is adopted at work with our team members it makes us happier, improves our moods, and makes us feel more connected to others. Did you know that the simple act of gratitude and appreciation towards your employees and professional subordinates and encouraging them to adopt the same mindset will amend many broken links that cause problems within your organization?  When a person feels appreciated for their work, they subconsciously mirror it through their acts and efforts, which means productivity and efficiency naturally will rise. Not only does gratitude increase productivity, however, it can also enhance the sense of belonging and respect at work, which is in turn related to significantly higher job efficiency, performance, less sick days, and lower overall corporate turnover.

The Positive Effects of Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. 

In positive psychology research, gratitude is consistently associated with greater overall happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. According to Forbes, gratitude has also been proven to improve physical and psychological health, opens the doors to more relationships, enhances empathy and reduces aggression, improves self-esteem, sleep, and increases mental strength. Overall, gratitude has been proven time and time again to lead to greater overall success in business and in life as when we are grateful, we have increased happiness in our lives, reduces stress and increases resilience which leads to greater long lasting intrinsic motivation to achieve our goals.  Research has demonstrated many times over the countless benefits of practicing gratitude.

When we delve deeper, we clearly recognize that gratitude isn’t a set of behaviours as much as it is a way of living and being. Gratitude drives out greed, selfishness and entitlement, bringing in its wake a desire to lift and serve others. True gratitude is expressed by “action.”

When we take a moment to stop, have faith, and acknowledge all the good in our lives, we create a foundation for all abundance in business, in life and with all of humanity.

“Our talk talks and our walk talks but our walk will always talk louder than our talk talks. We cannot fully and authentically lead anyone further than we have been ourselves.”