By: Nelson W. Burns, CEO, Coleman Professional Services
On Thursday, we usher in Thanksgiving. The one day a year we pay tribute to the people that are most important to us. Amidst the food, fanfare and football, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could take this day and replicate it all year long? The writer William Arthur Ward wrote, “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, routine jobs into joys, and ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
This blog post will focus on eight ways to express the attitude of gratitude and a simple, yet effective way, you can help Coleman Professional Services on Giving Tuesday.
#Gratitude
According to Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., Author of Thanks: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier:
- Individuals increased their happiness 4-19% when they expressed gratitude to someone
- When subjects write in their gratitude journal daily, they are:
- 2% happier after two weeks
- 6% happier after one month and
- 9% happier after six months
- A simple “Thank You” in the workplace has been shown to increase employee productivity by 50%
However, in a recent study of why people don’t express gratitude it found more than 50% of the respondents had the following barriers: either they forgot, allowed too much time to pass or didn’t know what to say. 30% of the participants regretted not saying thank you to someone in the past week.
Remember this, it’s never too late to say thanks! If you have to be reminded, put an alarm on your phone or a Post-it note on your computer screen. The simple expression of “Thank You” means more than you know.
Here are eight additional ways to express gratitude:
- Send personal thank you notes…via snail mail.
- Count your blessings in your daily gratitude journal.
- Pray or meditate daily.
- Thank someone, by their name, who isn’t expecting it (i.e. the janitor at your office, the bagger at the grocery store or the busboy at a busy restaurant).
- Write a recommendation for a fellow employee on LinkedIn.
- Create an employee appreciation wall. Find a wall or whiteboard. Put post-it notes and pens nearby. Allow employees to write thoughts of gratitude. Leave them up during the months of November and December.
- Put cookies, cupcakes and candy in the breakrooms for one week.
- Give to a non-profit.
Expressing gratitude improves your mood, gives you better health and increases longevity.
Here are two Coleman testimonials that mean a lot to me:
“Coleman has changed my life tremendously. I used to be too anxious and depressed to do anything. Depression made my mind foggy. I’m getting back to work and life, thanks to Coleman. Thanks to them, I not only receive counseling and medication management, but help for my life.” – Samantha
“Two years ago, I was at death’s door when I was saved by Coleman. I was homeless facing dark times in my life but now I am living on my own. As of October 11, I have one year of sobriety.” – Richard
#GivingTuesday
What is #GivingTuesday? It’s a global event that occurs on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving that puts focus on end-of-year giving. Started in 2011 by the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact, its purpose is to connect a diverse set of individuals, communities and organizations around the globe for one purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.
At Coleman, we have two philanthropic goals:
- To increase donations for a variety of needs in our nine-county region and
- Provide meaningful roles for our hardworking volunteers.
I hope you will consider doing one or both on Giving Tuesday, which falls on November 27th this year.
Thank You for All You do for Coleman Professional Services
To my employees, volunteers and donors I wish you and your family a truly wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Please know that I appreciate all you contribute in making us successful. Once again, thank you!