Are you a grateful person?

I’m grateful you’re taking time to read my blog. I’m also grateful that I had the mental capacity to write it and the technical means to send it. Sitting here, I’m thankful for breath in my lungs, food in my fridge, and the freedoms we enjoy—I could go on, but you get my point.

We should be thankful for all the good things (big and small) in our lives!

The Happiness Advantage

One thing I’m grateful for are TED Talks—they’re another positive way to help “replace retirement.” I have three favorites that I often share with clients after a meeting because they reinforce many of the points I espouse.

One TED Talk in particular reinforces the value of gratitude.

It’s called, “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor. His presentation is crisp, engaging, and insightful. In fact, I laugh every time I watch it because his stories and delivery are so amusing.

In just 18 minutes, Shawn explains the power and value of gratitude—how it’s an essential contributor to lasting happiness and peace of mind. He describes how our mood, our sense of well-being, and our performance can all be increased through gratitude.

Shawn shares five suggestions that, if formed into habits over a 21-day period, will change an individual’s sense of happiness and wellbeing:

1. Journaling

2. Expressing 3 things your grateful for today

3. Random acts of kindness

4. Exercising

5. Meditation

As a huge advocate and practitioner of daily alignment myself, I immediately identified with Shawn’s suggestions. However, through my own practice and application, I’ve found that 21 days is frequently not sufficient to create a habit. A better, more realistic timeline is about 90 days.

Develop Good Habits

My experience in habit development is reinforced by a study in England that discovered the average time required to form a habit is 66 days (not 21). This mirrors my own experience. One of the first daily alignment habits I committed to was journaling. Starting off, I dedicated to being consistent every morning for 90 days without a break. It was tough at first, but I discovered that around day 66, I was actually enjoying the morning ritual of journaling.

What had started out as a challenge was now a pleasure. Reinforcing this positive activity with daily consistency over time caused a healthy habit to be formed. And journaling is still an essential part of my morning routine!

Practice Gratitude

I recently read an article that further reinforces the value of thankfulness. It not only confirms Shawn’s theory about the benefits of daily gratitude, it stresses that our ability to both set long-term goals and achieve those goals is a result of creating and maintaining an attitude of gratitude.

Zig Ziglar put it this way: “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

So be genuinely grateful for what you’ve already accomplished, but at the same time, stay focused on your future by creating a Legacy Map.

Let’s all take a moment today to count our blessings.

In the business of to-do lists and tight deadlines, it’s easy to take for granted the precious gifts that fill our lives. Hectic schedules can dull our gratitude for the opportunities, relationships, and material blessings we enjoy.

There is always something to be grateful for!