by Lynette Silva

Recognize This! – You can’t gain the benefits of gratitude unless you are willing to be more grateful in the first place.

I am thrilled with the availability of our newest book, The Power of Thanks. It’s a tremendous tool for anyone looking to change their work cultures for the better. Whether you’re of a more philosophical bent or a “show me the data” type, you can glean valuable insight and information from the book.

Fundamentally, The Power of Thanks is a practical tool. There are elements you can excerpt to share with a broad audience, checklists to determine if you’re ready for social recognition, and mythbusters to help set you up for success.

If you’re the type that prefers to skip to the last chapter in a good murder mystery, then I encourage you to read Chapter 7 if nothing else. This chapter, “Building a Social Recognition Framework,” is the blueprint of market practices proven to create deeply influential cultures of appreciation in any organization.

One way I know the book is already having an impact is the excerpts I see popping up in various media, like this article on “14 Powerfully Beneficial Effects of Gratitude” in Inc. magazine.

Reading that article got me thinking again about the things I’m grateful for and the impact of that on my life. The one important point about gratitude is you can’t gain the benefits unless you are willing to be more grateful in the first place.

So, what am I grateful for? The list is long and varied, but for this post, I’ll keep it more work focused. Here are my top 3 things I’m grateful for at work.

1.  The opportunity to do good work with great people every day. Not enough people get to work on worthwhile projects with people they genuinely enjoy. I’m lucky, and I know it. Deep relationships with our co-workers are a key driver of happiness, and it’s safe to say I’m a pretty happy person.

2.  The knowledge that what I do matters. I help people around the world feel more appreciated and valued for the work they do, creating happier and more engaged workforces. The benefits accrete endlessly from there.

3.  The ability to take my work home with me. Sure, like most “knowledge workers” in today’s workforce, I check email and work from home on occasion, but that’s not what I mean here. I literally take my work home with me – I am a much more appreciative person now than I was seven years ago. I notice others more and am far more inclined to express my “thanks” in heartfelt ways.

Are you grateful person? What are you grateful for?