The Importance of Gratitude

A Thanksgiving Reflection

As I take some time to think about the Thanksgiving holidays that are upon us now, I cannot help but to focus in on the most important part of this holiday--being thankful. Expressing your genuine thanks every single time someone does anything for you--is very important--and not just limited to this time of year. Being thankful can have a tremendous impact on your career. That is why I recommend everyone adopt a gratitude-first mindset.

For starters, people are inclined towards liking people that are thankful. People want to help those that show gratitude for whatever efforts they may have put in to help that person. As a general rule, you want people to like you at work. It helps you in many ways including career progression. Being expressive with your thanks ensures that you are going to be liked by the people that can help you in your career.

Even when the impact or action is small or perhaps insignificant, showing thanks never goes wrong or unnoticed. In fact, showing your appreciation for even the smallest activities, usually endears you to that individual. The more you get an opportunity to thank someone, the more you become closer to them and the more they will want to help you with larger tasks in the future.

More important than it helping you and being the best thing to do, it is the right thing to do. Saying “Thank you” is more than just being polite, it is the golden rule for a reason. It brings positivity into your life and can transform your overall outlook by adding good karma and positive vibes into your life. Just try it and see how much your life changes.

Truly adopting a gratitude-first mindset requires you to be mindful and thoughtful to everything that is going on around you. Mindfulness is key to realizing and recognizing all the blessings you have from the people that surround you. It truly takes a mindset change to start thinking the way you need to think to be a truly thankful person in your daily life and gain all the benefits associated with that status.

So go out of your way to send someone a thank you message via text, email, call, or in person. Better yet, use the best way to express thanks possible--a handwritten note. I remember every handwritten thank you note that I have received in my career and I can tell you that each one left an impression. Whenever possible, default to the handwritten note, and it will serve you well also.

One note on giving thanks, make sure it is sincere and meaningful. The only kind of thanks that is an exception to my all thanks is good rule is that thanks that is insincere, hollow or fake. People will see right through it. When you give thanks to someone, make sure you are being as specific and detailed as possible in truly thanking them for something that you can reference that is clearly identifiable. The devil is in the details as they say, so make sure you take time to send high quality thank yous that show that effort, care and consideration went into drafting them.

Today on Thanksgiving, think about the people around you that are helping you in some small or large way. Show your appreciation to all those that are lifting you up in a positive direction at work. Work on adopting a gratitude-first mindset and be more thoughtful when it comes to people that help you out on a daily basis. Go out of your way to appreciate them--every single time. Be more thankful and see the positivity increase in your life!

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Zeeshan Javed Hafeez, is the Head of Cloud Sales & Customer Growth for Canada and the Northeast USA at Google Cloud. He is thankful to many people who have made a difference in his life to get him to where he is today and attempts to adopt a gratitude-first mindset by showing appreciation to others on a daily basis. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of his employer.