Even though many of us have numerous occasions to feel grateful in our personal and professional lives, we often miss out on opportunities to express gratitude, especially at work. 

By Emile Fakhoury
Recent research supports this theory; we are less likely to express gratitude at work than anywhere else. We are not even thankful for our jobs, which tend to rank last when asked to list the things we’re grateful for in our lives. I noticed the same behavior with my kids needing to appreciate their efforts and results at school. It starts at a younger age with an education system built to appreciate and reward efforts and results.

We have two main reasons to be grateful in our life and career, as per Harvard Business Review:

The First Reason to be grateful is about you; it has several beneficial effects on our life. Gratitude enables us to savor positive experiences, cope with stressful circumstances, be resilient in facing challenges, and strengthen social relationships.

Being grateful doesn’t just motivate you; it can also improve your health and well-being.

In a series of well-known studies, the first group of participants was asked to write about a few things or people they were grateful for each week, the second group was asked to write about a few hassles that they experienced during the week, and a third group was asked to write about any events that occurred during the week.

Participants who listed blessings scored higher on measures of positive emotions and felt more connected to others than those who made routine notes about their days or wrote about hassles.

The second reason to be grateful is for others; it can have powerful and long-lasting effects on those who receive them.

The research found that expressions of gratitude enable people to feel socially valued. We are receiving expressions of gratitude to make people feel socially valued and motivated them to help other beneficiaries. Hence, we should do more at our workplace and home throughout the year.

Here are a few tips for gratitude that you can start applying now:

1. Saying “thank you” or giving “thank you” notes at work to your colleagues can make them feel pretty good.

• When you’re demotivated, take a moment to think about the positive events in your life that spark gratitude in you (successes, good memories, friendly events, trips, etc.).
• Pay attention to your emotional intelligence. Analyze what triggers your emotions and makes you feel appreciated, positive, and happy.

When you begin to turn more frequently toward the things you appreciate, the world increasingly opens to reveal that there is always some small thing for which you can be grateful.

Finally, look at this example of happiness level; we are more impacted by a negative emotion that lasts longer than a positive emotion. We should be seriously concerned about motivating ourselves and others in our group or community to help reduce the negative curve duration and its impact and elevate the positive energy and good spirit for ourselves and others.

Remember always to Be Grateful!