Next Thursday, as we all (hopefully) take a day or two off to sit down with family and friends for a wonderful meal, we will be provided a touchstone to give thanks for all that we have. This year, we at Oishii have a lot to be grateful for: our wonderful clients, amazingly talented team and the opportunity to do what we love every day.
But our goal this Thanksgiving is not just to spend one day feeling gratitude, but to practice it on a regular basis. As we’ve stated before, gratitude can improve overall physical and mental health, including creative problem-solving and memory, as well as strengthen our relationships with friends, family and coworkers. In fact, studies have shown that positive emotions, like joy and gratitude “encourage us to engage with our environment, try new things, play, and generally serve to ‘broaden and build’ our lives.” Sounds a lot like Thinking Like A Tourist, actually.
In this fast-paced and often competitive industry, it can feel more natural to express frustrations about project deadlines and budgets than to express gratitude for everyone who’s coming together to make the project happen, but showing appreciation for employees and coworkers is the single highest driver of engagement in the workplace. Need a more selfish reason to give thanks? Expressing gratitude for the people we’ve surrounded ourselves with allows us to reflect on our genuine appreciation for our situations and feel the stress-busting power of joy. And, the more often we express gratitude to our co-workers, clients, employees and employers, the more genuine and natural it becomes.
So, why wait until the turkey (or tofurkey as the case may be) is roasting in the oven? Why not take just five minutes today to reflect on someone whose dedication, hard work, kindness or friendly smile has made work just a little more positive. Let yourself feel genuine gratitude for that person. And then tell them. You’ll both be thankful you did.