This message is about being grateful.
I recently completed Martin Seligman’s VIA Survey of Character Strengths again and realised that “Gratitude” moved up to my number five strength. Previously it did not feature at all! Read the short blog I posted after doing the test, if this test sounds like something you could benefit from.
Now I’m thinking: “How did this happen?”
And: “Why is Gratitude a notable strength?”
Well, the first question I can answer with ease since it is because I’ve surrounded myself with other people who are grateful for what they have and who they can be in their lives. Inspirational people like Martin my coach and others in the entrepreneurial networks I belong to… even most of my Facebook Friends who share what they love about their lives on a daily basis.
It is the people around me that turned me into a grateful person!
But it is also my own resolve to introduce rituals into my life, such as starting the week with an hour-long call with four other entrepreneurs. We start this call firstly by sharing what each of us is grateful for in our businesses and the rest of our lives.
Now I stand amazed at how much I’ve previously taken for granted and how I created stress in my life by wanting more, instead of being more. It serves me best to love what I have so that I can focus on being more, rather than having more!
OK. So I’m living proof that you can be grateful by surrounding yourself with grateful people and by introducing small rituals where you say “thank you”.
BUT why is gratitude important?
You can probably think of many reasons why it’s good to be grateful. For some it may be part of their spiritual or religious expression, while for others it may be to motivate them to achieve more…
For me, it is perhaps a bit of a selfish reason that stands out as the most important – it is because it makes me a happier person!
Be grateful because it makes you happier! It is as simple as that!
About Christoff Oosthuysen
I learned how to use flow to engage and challenge employees.
