I renewed my driver's license last year and was asked if I wanted a new photo. Saying yes was a mistake. Ten years of aging and a bad hair day made me want to turn back the clock. I feel the same way when I check out the morning headlines. I have a yearning for the problems of yore. I want to go back to 2002 and worry about Enron, rather than a global meltdown.
Luckily, just in time for the holidays, a new study emerged about the power of gratitude. People who are thankful sleep better and are less likely to get depressed over the morning news. And if you are not the naturally-grateful type, you are advised to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude." This seems like something to work on. I could use a good night's sleep.
Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, Davis and his research partner, Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, suggest a regular habit of listing five things for which you are grateful. If you do it every day, amazing things happen.
So here's my list, culled from the work of the Aspen Institute's First Mover Fellows -- innovators driving change within business with catalytic, long-term benefits to society.
- I'm grateful that John Thompson at Advent Financial Services is pursuing a business model to help low income, working taxpayers receive their tax refunds efficiently, while in the process connecting them with the mainstream banking system for year round use.
There are more examples where these came from -- and nominations for the next class of Fellows are now open. I'm grateful that a program like this exists that allows conscientious people working in business around the globe to use their hearts as well as their minds.