I'm curious, and would love to hear from you.
What are you grateful for in your career?
It's Thanksgiving time here in the U.S. It's a holiday where we reflect on our gratitude.
After witnessing so much violence and destruction in the news lately, it's easy to lose track of what is good.
Sometimes, we get overly caught up in examining that's wrong. Myself included. In the past few weeks, I've been turning your attention to what's wrong and harmful in the workplace, with missives on toxic work.
So it's a good time for creating a balance.
I'd like to invite you -- right now -- to articulate what's right with you and your work. Please take just a moment and ponder what you can be grateful for. Because expressing your gratitude is good for your health.
I've created a starter list of work-related things you can be grateful for. If you are American, I heartily encourage you to read these aloud at your Thanksgiving celebration. And anyone can share these with a co-worker or two over lunch this week.
Which of these expressions of gratitude most speaks to you?
I give thanks...
- I give thanks that I am able-bodied and healthy enough to work.
- I give thanks that I bring my clear, wise, creative mind to any endeavor.
- I give thanks that I live and work in a place where I am largely free from physical dangers such as war or exposure to harmful chemicals.
- I give thanks that I am filled with such a strong spirit of caring about my colleagues, my clients, and my mission -- and that leads me to feel good about myself and the world we inhabit.
- I give thanks that I have within me a big heart that seeks to uplift those I meet, and I can do that simply by being kind in my interactions at work -- and everywhere I go.
- I give thanks for the helpful, supportive people in my work and life who would guide me to my next opportunity should I need a new job in the future.
- I give thanks that I am part of a team that creates services or products that enrich the lives of our fellow human beings.
- I give thanks that I am the sort of person who accepts the big and small challenges that present themselves to me in my work and in my life, and sees them as the exercises needed for me to further develop my humanity.
What other work-related gratitude do you want to express?
Take just a moment, now, to share your gratitude here -- remind yourself and others of the good in our careers.