7 Ways To Show Gratitude, Be Thankful, & Boost Your Motivation

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I want to encourage you to voice your “attitude of gratitude”. Say thank you and give constructive feedback to your staff, friends, children, and co-workers and encourage them to be better in their lives and work.

Make it a habit to give people continual praise and encouragement. The more you praise and encourage positive constructive behaviors, the more deposits you make to the “emotional bank account.”

1) Appreciate People For Everything They Do

Always show appreciation. Every time you thank another person, you cause that person to like themselves better. You raise their self-esteem and improve their self-image. You cause them to feel more important. You make them feel that what they did was valuable and worthwhile. You empower them.

2) Build Your Own Self-Esteem By Thanking Others

And the wonderful thing about thanking other people is that, every time you say the words “thank you,” you like yourself better as well.

You feel better inside. You feel happier and more content with yourself and life. You feel more fully integrated and positive about what you are doing.

When you develop an attitude of gratitude that flows forth from you in all of your interactions with others, you will be amazed at how popular you will become and how eager others will be to help you in whatever you are doing.

3) Praise And Approve Others Continually

Another way to make people feel important and give them a sense of power and energy, is by the generous use of praise and approval. Psychological tests show that, when children are praised by the people that they look up to, their energy levels rise, their heart rates and respiratory rates increase and they feel happier about themselves overall.

4) Try “One Minute Praising”

Perhaps the most valuable lesson in Ken Blanchard’s book The One Minute Manager is his recommendation to be giving “One-Minute Praising” at every opportunity.

If you go around your home and through your social relationships praising and giving genuine and honest approval to people for their accomplishments, large and small, you will be amazed at how much more people like you and how much more willing they are to help you achieve your goals.

5) Practice The Law Of Reciprocity

There is a psychological law of reciprocity that says, “If you make me feel good about myself, I will find a way to make you feel good about yourself.”

In other words, people will always look for ways to reciprocate your kindnesses toward them. When you look for every opportunity to do and say things that make other people feel good about themselves, you will be astonished at not only how good you feel, but at the wonderful things that begin to happen all around you.

6) Pay Attention And Listen To Others

The third way to empower others, to build their self-esteem and make them feel important is simply to pay close attention to them when they talk.

The great majority of people are so busy trying to be heard that they become impatient when others are talking. But this is not for you. Remember, the most important single activity that takes place over time is listening intently to the other person when he or she is talking and expressing himself or herself.

7) Take Every Opportunity To Build People Up

Again, the three general rules for empowering the people around you, which apply to everyone you meet, are appreciation, approval, and attention.

Say thank you and voice your gratitude to others on every occasion. Praise them for every accomplishment. And pay close attention to them when they talk and want to interact with you. These three behaviors alone will make you a master of human interaction and will greatly empower the people around you.

Please leave a comment or share with your friends if you’ve enjoyed this post!

I hope that the holiday season treats you well and helps you to think about how thankful you are for what’s important in your life. As a thank you for being a loyal follower, I’d like to offer you some wonderful deals on some of my favorite products.

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Listen and Learn

"We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less." Diogenes

The benefits of good listening skills are significant. Everyone loves a good listener and one invariably learns a lot by listening, including who is worth listening to! People will open up and sometimes say the darndest things and all we have to do is be there and show that we are paying attention. It is ironic that saying and (mostly) doing nothing is such a vital component of relationship-building. Yet listening is the foundation of bonding; silently, one demonstrates empathy, telegraphs that another human being matters and creates rapport. Fortunately, the art of listening can be learned.

Working to disrupt the benefits of listening is our love of the sound of our own voice, so persistent that we sometimes don't know when to shut up. Talking is lots of fun, especially for the extroverts among us. Silence can be uncomfortable. But we all know that listening is an important communication skill. When we allow others to express themselves and tell their story, we demonstrate that we care about them and that we value the quality of the information that they are sharing.

Attention, please

When listening, give the speaker your undivided attention. Nothing else communicates the level of respect that you have for another than this one act. Let the phone go to voicemail, close the laptop lid. Sharing your valuable time with another and focusing your attention on that individual is so validating. It is also a defining element of charisma. Charismatic people are known to make whomever they are listening to feel as if only the two of them are in the room. Demonstrate your laser focus with eye contact, smiling or showing concern, nodding your head and declining to interrupt, except to ask a question or two that ensures that you understand what is being said.

Risk and trust

As noted above, when people start talking, you might be floored by what is revealed. No matter how you feel about what has been said, maintain your cool. Show that you are worthy of the trust that has been extended to you by way of the revelation. Appreciate and acknowledge the risk that was taken by the speaker when the decision was made to confide in you.

Take notes

Always take notes when in a business meeting. When you write as someone talks, you demonstrate that the subject of the conversation is important to you. The note-taking process also allows you to ask questions to ensure that you understand what has been said. Within 48 hours, send an email or a hand-written note in which you thank that individual for meeting with you and confirm the agreed-upon next steps.

Achieve understanding

Stephen Covey (1932-2012), author of the timeless self-help classic The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989), noted that most people listen not to understand, but to reply. Be careful not to jump to conclusions or hear only what you want or expect to hear. Perfect the art of listening and minimize miscommunication problems that can lead to costly mistakes or hurt feelings.

Listening is an art form that unfortunately, is underrated. Regardless, the most compelling leaders, the most successful sales professionals, the most powerful negotiators, the most charismatic people and those with whom we develop the most satisfying relationships are all active listeners. 

Follow the advice of Diogenes and sharpen your listening skills by employing patience and self-discipline to your business and social conversations.





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How To Ride The Wave Of A Positive Thought

What were you thinking a moment ago?

Was it positive, uplifting or dis-empowering?

Notice your feelings generated by the thoughts.

Are they pleasant, neutral or disagreeable?

If you're able to move your attention to your emotions, congratulations, you know how to ride the wave of a positive thought.

What do I mean by that?

If you observe a surfer on a wave, you'll notice it will turn into a large swell at one point. With enough momentum it surges into a larger wave, carrying the surfer to the shoreline.

Thoughts come and go from the landscape of your mind like ocean waves. New thoughts enter your stream of consciousness every one second. This means thoughts don't last, unless you direct your attention towards specific ones.

We live in the feelings of our thoughts, not the outside circumstances that influence them. External conditions do not impose upon your thinking, however it can produce an emotional response if the stimuli is strong enough.

"Truth is: Getting stopped by a thought, negative or positive, lays the groundwork for any disconcerting experience. It's never what we think, but that we think that gets us into hot water," affirms sports psychologist Garret Kramer in, The Path of No Resistance: Why Overcoming is Simpler than You Think.

Some days a thought produces a negative emotion while other days it's insignificant.

Why?

What has changed apart from the day?

We react to our surroundings on those occasions for unknown reasons, i.e. tired, moody, hungry, etc. At that time we're ruled by our thinking more so.

Your mind doesn't differentiate between a positive or negative thought. It doesn't register them in this manner - but you do, as the observer. When we label thoughts, we assign them importance over others, so they occupy space in our minds.

I want to be clear: You are not your thoughts.

You are not your thoughts, because they appear and dissolve from your mind and none are permanent. They may be repeated often, but they are never permanent. To imply you are what you think is misleading, to the degree you might experience a positive thought one moment and a negative one the next. If you are defined by that distinction, who are you according to this narrative?

If we live in the feelings of our thoughts and experience an anxious thought, it doesn't imply you're an anxious person. It means you experienced a thought which produced anxiety in your body. You may have an illuminating thought the next moment which cancels the earlier one. There are exceptions of course, governed by a clinical diagnosis by a trained mental health professional.

So the question arises, who are you then?

Garret Kramer affirms once more, "All you really need to do is leave your thoughts alone. Why? Because when left alone, as we've seen, all thoughts are impotent. You're free to excel no matter when or where a negative, or even a positive, thought invades your brain."

The key to overcome unwelcomed thoughts is not to eject them from your mind, but to be mindful of them. Approximately 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts pass through your mind every day. Thoughts flood into your consciousness on a moment-to-moment basis, like a TV show streamed online.

If thoughts flow into our consciousness, how can we reduce the impact of the negative ones?

By being mindful of disempowering thoughts, you bring them to the forefront of your mind and become conscious, rather than unconscious of them.

Unconscious thoughts are part of the landscape of our minds. Similar to streaming a TV show on a computer, you can be distracted by a pop-up window selling you a product or service. Your intention is to view the show, yet the distraction pulls you away from it. Unconscious thoughts have the same effect. They emerge from nowhere and can lead us to dark places if we're unaware.

"The pain that you create now is always some form of nonacceptance, some form of

unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought, the resistance is some form of

judgment. On the emotional level, it is some form of negativity. The intensity of the pain depends on the degree of resistance to the present moment, and this in turn depends on how strongly you are identified with your mind," states author Eckhart Tolle.

The key is to recognise our unconscious thoughts without invoking negative feelings or adding a narrative. We do so by witnessing them through the eyes of equanimity, instead of reacting with negative emotions or actions.

To ride the wave of positive thought, first note the feelings produced in your body. Note your emotional response without becoming invested in them.

Eckhart Tolle states, "Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body's reaction to your mind - or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body."

Empowering thoughts have an enriching quality, demonstrating they are in harmony and balance. Thoughts that produce an uncomfortable sensation, is your body's way of showing you they are out of alignment.

In this setting, the body is a feedback instrument informing you of your thinking.

You needn't be attentive to every thought. Yet, if you're aware how those thoughts generate positive or negative emotions, it's possible to choose more balanced thoughts.

When an inspiring thought emerges, move into your body and notice your emotional response.

Is it in your chest, stomach or elsewhere?

How does it feel?

Is it a tingling sensation that radiates or does it move to other regions?

Meditation is useful when sitting with your thoughts in a quiet setting. Even as little as five minutes in silence helps you become acquainted with your thoughts, instead of passing through your mind without conscious awareness.

To ride the wave of a positive thought, note the feelings they produce while shifting your awareness to them.

As you witness your thoughts, your awareness observes them thus diminishing their intensity.

In time, you create longer streams of positive thoughts, having become familiar with their ebb and flow.

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7 Tips on Motivation to Gain Momentum

Sometimes because of situations people tend to worry but worry leads to fear and discouragement, but instead of putting your face to the ground, one must raise up in faith and find solutions to the things that worry them. Worrying serves no purpose it only gets us down and makes us lose focus. We need to get up and take action, by acting, we are taking control of our lives and circumstances. We are NEVER hopeless and anything is better than worrying.

Tip 1. Stop Listening to Negative Thoughts

Many times because of bad experiences, we tend to listen to that inner voice, the negative thoughts, the hurts and pains. These negativity discourages us from achieving anything in life. Make up your mind to be positive about life, envision yourself in the place and position you want to be in, like financially stability, establishing your business or even owning your dream home, whatever you choose to accomplish keep this in the forefront of your mind and work towards it.

Tip 2. Change Your Environment

Remove yourself from any negative environment or circumstances that do not encourage your success. You cannot do the same things over and over and expect different results. You must re-position yourself in order to move forward.

Tip 3. Prioritize Your Life

Ask yourself how important the situations are around you and set your priorities in order, this would help you to cope, then work on the most important ones first.

Tip 4. Associate Yourself with Like-Minded People

Find people who have the same or similar vision and share your vision with them get new ideas and encouragement. Also learn to encourage yourself by encouraging others and get excited about it.

Tip 5. Set Realistic Goals

Set goals that you know that you can accomplish within a specific time-frame, put a plan in place, envision your goal, see it, touch it, taste it in your heart and challenge yourself to meet those goals.

Tip 6.Gain Knowledge

There are a community of resources out there like internet, books, networking events, talking with others in your niche and more..that you can tap into to bring you encouragement and help you gain momentum to keep you moving forward. These resources would influence your motivation.

Tip 7. Take Risks

Learn to take risks you will never gain anything by doing nothing! Choose to live life to the fullest, it's up to you! Be willing to fail before you can even begin to succeed at anything. Failure should motive you to succeed and not to get you down. Never quit, there is a saying, "a quitter always loses", keep trying until something great happens. Never see yourself defeated, instead, see yourself with real potential and get busy moving forward!

To many times people depend on others to push them to achieve, what if we don't have that someone, would you just give up in life. No, we were all created with great potential, talents and abilities within, we need to tap in and put away negative thoughts and start believing that you can do anything that you put your mind to do. Yes we all need encouragement, but motivation comes from within is an act of your will and desire, you have to get up and decide to move forward.

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7 Interesting Ways to Create Positivity At Work

This is a no brainer;

The key to the success of any company is productive and happy employees.

A positive work environment boosts the spirit of the workforce and helps the company to get the most out of every individual. When employees feel accepted and are encouraged, they are inspired to perform better.

A conducive environment at the workplace plays a quintessential role in enhancing the creativity of the employees. It also encourages innovation, which ultimately leads to the growth of an organization.

7 Ways to Create Positivity At Work

Since an employee spends so much of his time at work; a rigid and tough atmosphere can only create stress and make the work more challenging. Work doesn’t need to be a drag; instead the employees should feel delighted to be a part of the organization.

As a leader you can take numerous, small yet effective, steps to improve the psyche of the employees and create a positive working environment.

This article contains some interesting ways to create positivity at workplace, so your employees feel happy and are determined to give their best. Take a look.


1. Build A Team of Professionals

A workplace constitutes of the people who work there and hence the kind of people you hire has a great impact on your work.

The wise thing to do is hire the right people and let go of the bad ones. People who are professional and can work in a team help create a positive environment.

On the other hand, the one’s with bad attitudes can affect others daily performances as well. As they say one rotten apple can spoil the whole lot.

Therefore it’s important to make the right choice when building a team and although it is difficult to fire employees, you must let go of the wrong ones.


2. Pay Attention to the Décor

A person’s surrounding environment can have a substantial impact on his productivity.

A clean, comfortable and well-designed workplace affects the output and mood of the employees. Make an effort to create a relaxing atmosphere with well lit rooms, comfy furniture and some extra amenities.


A well decorated office can have an impact on the perception of your organization by the job seeker, potential business partners and even visitors.

Keeping the office organized, encouraging personalization of their work stations and providing a separate space to the employees for relaxation can work wonders.


3. Encourage Communication Among Employees

Most of the workplaces have cabins and cubicles. And employees spend most of their time at their computers. Human interaction is vital to encourage creativity and create a happy and pleasant environment.

Employees need to interact in order to solve problems effectively and quickly.

Having a large space where the employees can collaborate sparks creativity and motivates people to come up with innovative ideas.

Apart from eating together, holding fun activities every now and then can foster interaction and help build a positive relationship amongst the employees. You can also celebrate birthdays and other events to make the employees feel more accepted.


4. Replace Emails with Face-to-Face Conversations

In this digital era, we have become too dependent on technology. Emails have replaced personal communication as such employees hardly meet their bosses. As a leader, it’s important that your employees know you’re there for them.

You need to build a more positive relationship with employees, and face to face communication plays a major role in this. Talk to your employees and you will be amazed to see how it boosts their morale and encourages innovative ideas.

Also, try to appreciate your employees for their work in person instead of through emails. This is also a great way to get essential feedback, which can help improve the business.


5. Be A Leader Not A Boss

The perks of being a leader more than a boss are surprisingly wonderful.

Try replacing the “You should” while giving an instruction with “Let’s” and will notice a considerable difference in the dedication of the employees towards work.

When it comes to taking big decisions, leading by consensus can help you rally a team around a common goal and achieve much better results. Try to speak less and listen more, so that the employees get a chance to express their ideas.

This will make the employees feel as if they are working for themselves and not their boss.


6. Don’t Wear Out the Employees

Stress at work is never good for the performance and quality of work.

Employees who are overloaded with work feel stressed. They experience burnout and an imbalance between work and home. Which ultimately leads to negativity, absenteeism and decreased work quality.

Also, overload at work directly impacts the job satisfaction and usually becomes the prime reason for employees to quit their jobs. As such, it is crucial to give only what your employees can handle in terms of work.

If you are trying to increase production, you should so increasing the workforce and not by demanding one person to complete the work for two.


7. Be Thankful

Nothing works more magically than appreciation and encouragement.

Although, there are different motivating factors for different people including promotion and increment, but praise and recognition is craved by all.

Feedback on the work of an employee is the most efficient way to improve productivity and appreciation acts as motivation to give their best. Both feedback and appreciation are equally important to create a healthy work environment.

It leads to a positive reinforcement and improvement in performance as well as output. It’s important to make the employees feel valued and to show them that their work contributes to the success of the organization.


Conclusion
Mentioned above are just a few ways to create positivity at workplace.

There are several other ways to achieve this objective; including properly training the employees, being transparent about the policies and business matters, being flexible at the workplace and trusting the employees for their work.
Try to make these small changes at your workplace and you will notice a positive difference. How do you create positivity at work? Leave a comment below.

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