5 Ideas for Keeping an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ All Year Long
If you’ve ever walked down a kindergarten in November, chances are you’ve seen cutout paper turkeys on the walls. The bird’s body is the child’s handprint, splayed out so all five fingers give “Tom” a head, torso, and feathers. Additional “feathers” made from construction paper might be affixed to the backside so that “Tom” now is a bit more colorful and robust. On the feathers you’ll see scribblings for what that child is grateful such as “Mommy”, “Daddy”, “strawberries” or “earthworms”.
Thanksgiving is the holiday when our thoughts turn to gratitude. We may even feel inspired to take stock while we celebrate with family and friends. But then – as it always does – life goes on; we continue our packed schedules, fall back into auto-pilot mode, and somehow that grateful feeling fades away. Weeks and even months can be pass before something stops us and we adjust our ‘attitude of gratitude’ once again.
At Tingalls we strive to foster an environment which inspires a grateful heart and spirit all year-long. Here are a few ideas from us on how you can, too.
• Journaling. It’s therapeutic to let our thoughts and feelings out, and journaling allows that to be private, too. If a blank page of paper (or blank Word document screen) doesn’t provide you inspiration, a simple template can be created to fill-in daily with prompts like, “List three things I appreciated”, “Name two things I learned”, and “One thing I would have done differently”.
• Sending a hand-written card. The Pony Express is not passé. A 2020 poll reported that 75% of millennials valued the physical mail received from their contacts. This is a great way to express appreciation or admiration to a customer, colleague or friend. Keep your message simple, genuine and heart-felt. Choose a fun card design and postage stamp. Sending just two cards a week will positively-impact 104 people a year!
• Engage your knowledge and skills to benefit a connection. In professional networking groups, members are prompted as to what type of referral would be most helpful for them. Reach out to a contact and simply ask, “Is there any way I can help you?” Maybe you have insights or connections which will be a solution to a problem they are currently experiencing.
• Become involved with a community cause. Many non-profits and community improvement programs are begging for volunteers. It’s easy to believe we don’t have spare time in our schedules; however, add up time spent scrolling on social media or watching Netflix. A terrific way to inspire gratitude is to get to work serving others.
• “Pay it forward”. Maybe you’ve got a few loose dollars in your wallet after the week. Head to your favorite drive-thru and tell the cashier you’d like to pay for the next person’s cup of coffee or cheeseburger meal. Do that once a week over a year, and that’s 52 surprised and grateful recipients sending up some good karma in your direction.
We’d love to hear your practices for keeping an ‘attitude of gratitude’! Chime in and share them on any of our social media platforms.
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