Gratitude at Work

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” --author Melody Beattie

During those times when a particular situation at work (or elsewhere for that matter) is causing stress and strain, take out pen and paper and make yourself list 5 things you are grateful for in that situation. A friend of mine says sometimes when it feels especially tough, that may mean the only 2 things she can think of are “the pen and paper I have to write this list with”! At least that’s a place to start and it does get easier after that. By giving thanks for even the smallest thing, we force ourselves into “gratitude mode” and feel the stress and strain lessen. You begin to focus on what you do have and not what you don’t. Then a feeling of abundance kicks in and that whole bad mood feels less overwhelming. As like attracts like, this feeling grows and we make room for more things to be grateful for.

If you’re not all that happy with work right now or feeling insecure about your job, it might feel difficult to find that one thing to be grateful for, but there’s something there. Whatever it is, it deserves your gratitude and attention so that it can grow and make your work life more fulfilling and meaningful to you. Do some thinking over the next few days – you might realize more to be thankful for than you thought.