An attitude of gratitude
Before Christmas I was presented with a gift from the senior leadership team at St Bartholomew’s to say thank you for my work in 2018. I was one of many who did and I can’t tell you how much it meant.
I’ve noticed since I’ve worked at St Barts that they really have this saying ‘thank you’ thing nailed. But, just as importantly, there’s an understanding that it doesn’t have to be a big fanfare; it can be a simple note to say ‘I really appreciate your work, we’re lucky to have you’. The little things really are the big things.
On the communications team, we’ve recently introduced a ‘star of the week’; voted for by the team and awarded in our weekly team meeting. It’s a plastic gold star that’s a bit wobbly (we really, must fix that) but every person who’s been awarded it lights up with pride when they hear what their colleagues have said about them. It’s such a morale boost and sets that person up for the rest of the week.
It’s well known that those who feel appreciated do more. So saying thank you also makes sense for any business. Yet the power of thank you is easily overlooked in favour of the nuts and bolts of task lists, meetings and admin.
In mindfulness, I was taught to write down three things that I was grateful for each day; the idea being that, as human beings, we’re hardwired to look for the ‘threat’ or the negative in the situation, which can contribute to feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. By turning your attention to the positive, you train your brain to see the world differently but it’s also creates a physical response: your brain will connect to the parasympathetic nervous system (the system you need to be in go to sleep) when you’re in gratitude mode and when you’re in this state you can’t be anxious.
I like to start the year with a list of not so much resolutions but intentions as to how I want to spend the next 12 months, and being more positive and thinking the best is going to happen rather than the worst is something I’d like to work on, as well as appreciating what I have already, including my colleagues, friends and family.
Today is Blue Monday, apparently – the bleakest day of the year. But don’t let that stop you feeling grateful today. As the American writer Mark Twain said: ‘The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up.’
I’d love to hear from you about what or who you’re grateful for. Leave me a comment in the box below.
Lucy Kearney, communications advisor