gratitude – Gratitude Habitat

Living In Gratitude: Grateful Leaders

May 19, 2022/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

Gratitude is not a limited resource, nor is it costly. It is as abundant as air. We breathe it in but forget to exhale.
– Marshall Goldsmith

Being appreciated is correlated with increased performance and engagement at work. Yet, 59% of employees state they’ve never had a manager who “truly appreciated” them, and 53% said they would stay longer at their place of employment if they felt their work was more appreciated.

So, if people like and want to be appreciated, why aren’t more managers expressing gratitude for their employees?

A 2018 study might explain part of the issue. Researchers ask people to write letters of appreciation and then predict how that letter would be received. The researchers then asked the recipients how they felt after reading the letter.

The letter writers dramatically underestimated the positive impact their letter would have and also believed that the recipients would feel awkward about receiving such a letter.

A recent HBR article discusses the outcomes of research conducted around power positions and the expression of gratitude.

They wanted to answer the questions:

Does having power (e.g., being a manager or executive) influence feelings and expressions of gratitude? If so, why?

Living In Gratitude: Celebrate the Goodness

February 8, 2022/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

Brené Brown recently published Atlas of the Heart, a compendium of 87 key human emotions. Chapter 11 entitled Places We Go When Life Is Good, delves into a multitude of emotions, including joy, happiness, calm, contentment, and gratitude.

Besides being a best-selling author, Brené is a successful podcaster, professor, and lecturer. She is best known for her extensive research on shame, vulnerability, fear, and leadership, and she has an incredibly popular 2010 TED Talk on vulnerability. Her Netflix special, A Call to Courage, is also powerfully insightful. Both are worth watching.

Here’s what she has to say about gratitude in Atlas of the Heart:

“There is overwhelming evidence that gratitude is good for us physically, emotionally, and mentally. There’s research that shows that gratitude is correlated with better sleep, increased creativity, decreased entitlement, decreased hostility and aggression, increased decision-making skills, decreased blood pressure–the list goes on.”

Living In Gratitude: Be Thankful

November 16, 2021/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

“Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Living In Gratitude: Investing in Appreciation

August 16, 2021/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

When it comes to relationships, be it friends, coworkers, parents and children, siblings, life partners/spouses, and even the relationship with yourself, one ‘stock’ you should invest heavily in is appreciation. There truly is no such thing as expressing too much gratitude for the essential people in your life.

The greatest need of every human being is the need for appreciation.
~ Unknown

Sincere appreciation expressed in any relationship is equivalent to a substantial deposit into the bank account of that partnership. It builds wealth and a sturdy foundation. Along with attention and affection, it’s part of the trifecta for relating to others.

This wealth-building appreciation must be heartfelt. When gratitude comes from your heart, it opens you up to see and understand another person’s point of view, even when it is fundamentality different from your own. It is the kind of appreciation that notices another person’s strengths and acknowledges them out loud and with pride; the type of appreciation that’s built on respect and that treasure’s another person’s value and worth.

When we receive appreciation from someone, we are grateful, and we then sincerely appreciate them in return. That’s where the power and beauty of gratitude lies. That’s why appreciation can make all the difference between a relationship that’s withering and one that’s full of life.

When we give someone the gift of recognizing their strengths, it motivates them to live up to our positive perceptions. What you praise (from your heart!) grows.

Living In Gratitude: Self-Perception

April 22, 2021/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

Self-perception is, simply put, how we view ourselves. This lens through which we view everything influences our mood, behavior, attitude, beliefs, and judgment. Suppose we hold a primarily positive view of ourselves. In that case, this spills over into how we view the world, becoming cyclical as it leads to even more positive behaviors, habits, and ideas.

Self-perception is a core component of our identity. When we achieve something like a degree, promotion, or other accomplishments, our confidence and perception of ourselves are boosted.

Living in Gratitude: Younger Podcast

February 13, 2021/in Gratitude, Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

Recently, I was interviewed about the power of gratitude by Dr. Robyn Benson on Younger: The A.R.T. and Science of Youthful Aging podcast. The episode is called “Creating a Life of Joy Through Gratitude.”

I share how my gratitude journey began on a walk with my grandmother.

Since then, gratitude has been a grounding place for me, a way of life that I’ve chosen. Gratitude is available to everyone.

Living In Gratitude: 30 Habits to Cultivate Happiness

September 26, 2020/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

It is an understatement to say that 2020 has been a challenge. We are experiencing unprecedented uncertainty and so much of life feels out of our control.

Yet there are still ways to seek happiness even while we collectively experience the grief, stress, fear, and anxiety this year has wrought.

Living In Gratitude: Choosing to Live in Ease

June 28, 2020/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

There is a difference between living an easy life and living in ease.

Easy means without problems or difficulty. A life devoid of adversity.

Living in ease is striking a balance between effort and the effortless. It is following the rhythmic flow of life. Living in ease is a choice rather than an unrealistic ideal.

We all experience challenging times, periods when we have to stand firm, overcome, work hard, push through. But even during these seasons, we can choose ease.

As humans, we often unconsciously seek out the most arduous path. Our ego thrives off external approval from others. We want to win. We want to be right. We want to impress. And sometimes, we want to avoid. Avoid failure. Avoid being in stillness. Avoid emotions.

Living In Gratitude: Gratitude Treasure Hunt

May 23, 2020/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

There are times – like the ones we are living in now – that stretch us to look for things to appreciate. Each day rolls into the next with uncertainty mounting on what the future holds. That can begin to taint our ability to see that even during dark times, there are always things for which to be grateful.

Below is a twist on the classic scavenger hunt that came from Simple Acres Blog. Instead of simply finding objects pre-hidden by someone else, you will seek out items that have personal significance and each object being something you appreciate.

Living In Gratitude: Hugs

April 25, 2020/in Living In Gratitude /by Carol Adamski

You can’t wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug.

Social distancing. Two words that are now indelible parts of our nomenclature.

Although social separation is very important for all of us to engage in right now for the health of our nation, as social creatures, humans thrive on touch. Our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing is nourished when we connect with others. And hugs are one of the best ways to make us feel connected to someone else.

Studies show that adults and children alike need between three and five hugs a day. And now more than ever, those hugs are vital and mostly virtual.