Who Are You Grateful For?

Thanksgiving is a time when many focus on being grateful for what they have. However, what would be the impact if we were to reframe this from being grateful for the what we have to being grateful for who we have in our lives.

There are more reasons than you think for expressing gratitude, to and for those around us. Beside the positive effects on health, gratitude brings about an increased ability to cope with stress, anxiety, and sleep problems - which given some of the family holiday meals from my youth may not be a bad thing!

It can be easy to overlook the relationships that have had an impact for us, especially those relationships we cultivate at work. Gratitude is vital to cultivating all our relationships. You build connection with others every time you say thank-you and when we're intentional about expressing our gratitude, we’re acknowledging the other person’s value in our life. And that builds connection - gratitude enables us to have friends.?

But practicing gratitude in our daily lives also helps us to be a better friend. As we share in You, Me, We, Abundance & Generosity are the foundation to an ally mindset, and friendship begins with giving. However to give freely, you have to believe there’s enough to share - that success is a shared resource, not a scarce resource - whether that's measured in time, attention, or pecan pie!

We've been fortunate at SkyeTeam that nurturing the relationships between us, with our clients, and with our partners, has been our baseline operating system since day one. We know we have something special because not a week goes by when someone doesn't ask us how they can join us at SkyeTeam, or how they can get a little of the magic for themselves.

So here are three quick tips for demonstrating gratitude:

1. Write thank-you notes: Whether in response to a gift or kind act, or simply as a show of gratitude for someone being in your life, getting into the habit of writing thank-you messages can help you express gratitude in addition to simply feeling it inside. We promise, no one has ever said "please don't thank me!"
2. Nonverbal actions: This includes smiles and hugs (in an HR appropriate way!), both of which can express a wide array of messages, from encouragement and excitement to connection & compassion.
3. Take a Moment: Expressing quiet thanks for ourselves and to ourselves cultivates gratitude. Paying attention to the moment you're in right now, being mindful of the moment. You can sit quietly and focus on something that you're grateful for, such as the delicious smells coming from the kitchen on a holiday morning, a cool breeze, or a memory - for the opportunity to be you.

Let's face it, the above tactics are all very well, however all of us have felt the clammy grip of ingratitude (especially when Uncle Fred starts his Thanksgiving-what's-wrong-with-the-world-monologue or Aunt Maud starts her "In my day..." retrospective). Gratitude for those relatives and friends who seem to know how and when to push our buttons can be tough. Failing the last minute invention of a nifty little gizmo or app that creates a distraction just as the conversations starts to heat up here are three tips for keeping your cool and your gratitude intact:

1. ?Make a game plan - The first step to surviving Thanksgiving dinner with difficult relatives is to have a game plan. Better yet, a tag-team game plan with someone else who is less emotionally vested and can have your back. Decide what you will and won't say in response to the hot topics - a simple "I don't agree" followed by clearing some plates - or "I'm going to check on dessert".
2. Keep your cool - your amygdala has been priming for a fight since the invitation to family dinner arrived. The moment the hot topic comes up your amygdala fires and shouts "See! I told you they'd say that" - and comes out fighting. When triggered, take a moment to soothe your amygdala. Count to 10, take a break from the table, switch your attention to the music or tv - no matter how tempting it may be to weigh in with your quick reply. Pause.
3. Keep your sense of humor - One of the best ways to deal with difficult relatives is to keep things light and maintain a sense of humor. Remember that their rant is a reflection of them, not of you. This doesn't mean that you should make light of their comments, but simply finding the humor in situations can help diffuse tension and make things more bearable.

?How do you cultivate an attitude of gratitude?

?When we have relationships where gratitude and thanks flow easily work, and life, becomes lighter, we all become #bettertogether .

?We won't be sending a newsletter next week (we'll be in our own post Thanksgiving food coma). Instead we'll leave the space for us all to focus on the good things, and people, in our lives.

?If you're celebrating next week - have a wonderful time. If you aren't celebrating next week - have a wonderful Thursday!

Morag, Eric and Ruby

You, Me, We won an award!!

This week, the?Goody Business Book Awards , announced their 2022 winners. We were so excited to learn that You, Me, We was recognized as a finalist in the HR & Employee Development category.

We're grateful for all the support we've received, and to the wonderful group at the Goody Book Awards in honoring and recognizing all of the authors and books.

We were also excited to see our friend and colleague, Ron Carucci's new book To Be Honest win an award in the Business category. Congratulations to all!

Order Now

What are we reading?

Here are six books that caught our attention and connect to the theme of gratitude (yes, at least one should look a little familiar!). Click on the book cover to be taken to the Amazon order page.

Consider a bulk order and share with your team, a way of expressing your gratitude and thanks for their contributions.

And in the ongoing spirit of gratitude and thanks - don't forget to write an online review when you are done. Every author does a happy dance when they read a new review - We know we do!