Gratitude: The Healing Powers

by Kathy Cooperman

Recently, I met with a coaching client who was experiencing a series of unfortunate events both in her personal and work life. As I listened, I realized how all-consuming times like these can be. She explained that she feels isolated and alone to face her painful situation. That feeling of helplessness left her unable to think of ways to cope. She said this was not only impacting her personally, but also having a spillover effect on her team.

We discussed the concept of gratitude. I explained that many years ago I began keeping a gratitude journal. A recent source explains the many benefits of gratitude, including research on the benefits of this practice.

My daughter and I went to a local bookstore and each picked out a beautiful blank journal to begin our new evening ritual. We would reflect back on our day and write down three things for which we were grateful. Some days would be filled with joyous events and the task was easy and fun. Other days were not so positive. I remember times when the only thing I could come up with was, “The sun was bright and warm today” or “I saw a rainbow this afternoon” or “My dogs were happy to go for a walk this morning.” Going to sleep with such a positive mindset was a peaceful way to end a sometimes stressful day. We continued our evening ritual for quite some time. It is still a favorite memory of mine.

Why it Works
By simply shifting attention away from the negative, bad things to the good things in life we reframe the way we see the world. Our energy is redirected toward the world we want rather than the world that seems to be victimizing us.

Gratitude and Appreciation Toward Others
In the workplace, I’m frequently reminded of how scarce gratitude can be. I hear from individuals at all levels that they almost never hear words of encouragement from those above them in the organization.

Clearly, people crave appreciation for their efforts. Recently, another coaching client, with advanced education, explained that she almost never hears feedback about her work. She is in the medical field and takes great pride in her mission to save lives. She said she’d love it if her skilled work was noticed occasionally.

Expressing Appreciation in the Workplace
Gary Chapman and Paul White co-authored Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. It’s filled with ideas on how leaders can show appreciation for others at work. According to the authors, we each have a preferred language for appreciation. Our misguided tendency is to show appreciation to others in the way we would like to receive it.

When we take the time to learn the other person’s preferred language of appreciation, we can then show them appreciation in a way that they value.
In my example above, the highly-skilled medical professional is looking for words of encouragement. By hearing nothing, she’s left wondering if her work matters at all.

Give it a try! I know you’ll reap the benefits.

Kathy Cooperman, an executive coach and leadership expert, is the president and founder of KC Leadership Consulting LLC. For more information, contact her at kathy@kathycooperman.com, www.kathycooperman.com or 720.542.3324.