Hang with me on this, because it feels like a motivational chat is about to happen, but it has bearing on your business. I used to think that people who always looked for the silver lining in bad events were lame. It felt like the only thing they could say was something trivial like, "Well, at least you're not dead" or "At least you can still buy groceries." I'd bristle at those comments. And then I learned their magical effect. People who teach themselves to automatically look for the upside are not in denial. They are setting themselves up to live longer, happier, more fruitful lives. The research bears it out.
Gratitude is simply being happy for what you have. It doesn't minimize a loss, but it does help your brain to relieve the anxiety of loss when you at least have a few things on your checklist for which you are thankful. The moment your list is devoid of thankfulness, nasty negative stress hormones begin to permeate your body and your attitude. In business, that means you operate out of desperation and greed–two very unattractive attributes that turn clients off. Here are a couple of tips on finding and using gratitude in your life and business. If you try to do them, you'll see that they pay off.
1. It is about what you have.
Grateful people know that if they lose everything else they still have (fill in the blank). What are the baseline things for which you are grateful? Make a list. People who live without gratitude measure their lives by what they don't have. You will never measure up. There will always be something you don't have. Take stock of what's in the cupboard.
