Expressing Gratitude Makes Us Better in Business

I’ve been digging into the analytics again. For the past month, quarter and year, one post on the Web Writing Advice blog has gathered the most pageviews.

And, it makes me grin ear to ear.

Celebrating Achievements on Social Media For Personal and Professional Gain focuses on being vocal about our accomplishments to not only boost our feel-good hormones, but to also inspire others to work toward their goals.

I am grateful readers are interested in this idea and may be looking for actionable ways to celebrate their achievements. Hard work should be recognized both by ourselves and others.

Over the past year I’ve been reading and learning more about gratitude and how it can amplify our mental health and wellness. I think anyone can use an extra boost now and again, so I decided to write this post, with a nod to my colleagues, from entrepreneurs like me to my friends in the content marketing world.

What is Gratitude?

Ah, pausing to be thankful instantly makes us feel content. But really, gratitude is a bit more complex than a simple exchange of pleasantries and resulting good vibes.

Our friends at Merriam-Webster reminds us that gratitude is linked to appreciation, gratefulness and thankfulness.

On a deeper level, let’s turn to research professor Brené Brown from the University of Houston. She’s known for her TED Talks, Netflix special, books and research about courage, shame, empathy and vulnerability. She also shares wisdom on the concept of gratitude.

“The relationship between joy and gratitude was one of the important things I found in my research. I wasn’t expecting it. In my 12 years of research on 11,000 pieces of data, I did not interview one person who had described themselves as joyful, who also did not actively practice gratitude,” Brown explains in an article written for Global Leadership Network.

She goes on to synthesize that practicing gratitude is what allows joy to enter our lives. Active journaling, speaking out and thinking about the things we are thankful for makes us more aware of the present moment, take inventory of our emotions and slow down.