Author Jon Gordon writes: ‘I’d love to share with you the benefits…of two simple words. THANK YOU. They…have the power to transform our health, happiness…and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. Gratitude…also improves the heart’s rhythmic functioning, which helps us to reduce stress, think more clearly under pressure and heal physically. It’s…physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. When you are grateful you flood your body and brain with…endorphins that uplift and energise you…Gratitude…[is] also essential for a healthy work environment…The number one reason why people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated…Gratitude is like muscle. The more we do with it the stronger it gets. Here are…ways to practise thanksgiving every day: 1) Take a daily…ten-minute walk…and say out loud what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day. 2) At dinner with friends and family, go around the table and have each person…say what they’re thankful for. 3) Psychologist Martin Seligman…suggests that we write a letter expressing our gratitude to someone. Then we visit this person and read them the letter…People who do this are measurably happier and less depressed a month later. 4) Say thank you at work. When Doug Conant was the CEO of Campbell Soup, he wrote approximately 30,000 thank you notes to his employees and energised the company in the process…Organisations spend billions of dollars collectively on recognition programmes but the best and cheapest recognition programme of all consists of a sincere THANK YOU.’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.