The University of Pennsylvania did a study on happiness that made the cover of Time Magazine a few years ago and found that gratitude was the secret of happiness. This is a concept we’ve been talking about in mental toughness training for over 20 years that’s finally being accepted by the academic community. I wrote about it in 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class, and in my new book, Coaching the 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class. So heres a critical thinking question for you: when was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who added value to your life? As it turns out, expressing gratitude is a win-win exercise in rooted in a love and adbundance philosophy. The person you’re thanking feels appreciated and you feel great for thanking him or her. How can you beat that! For more information on the U of Penn study, visit www.authentichappiness.com  Dr. Martin Seligman headed up this study, and is the founder and leader of the positive psychology movement. Although positive psychology and critical thinking (mental toughness) sometimes clash, Dr. Seligmans books and research are worth there weight in gold. I’ll look forward to your comments. (5:09 )

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Steve Siebold
flagabigmouth@gmail.com
Author and Professional Speaker since 1997. Past Chairman of the National Speakers Association's Million Dollar Speakers Group. Author of 11 books with 1.4 million copies in print.

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4 thoughts on “Mental Toughness through Gratitude”

  2. “when was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who added value to your life?” — Steve

    Yesterday! (It’s ready 4:50 pm EST Sunday and I haven’t yet today – I better get with it. Steve, the business my wife and I have created over the past twelve years is such a business of expressing gratitude that we learned with our first introduction to it in April of 1996, that it has caused us to radically change how we treat people. This from a couple of former public school teachers whose days were days of inspirstion and gratitude for the students we were given to teach.

    Because of the nature of personal and relational communications we make daily, we daily express gratitude, thankfulness, inspiration and love for and directly to many, many people.

    This isn’t a mutual pat-you-on-the-back and rub-your shoulders warm fuzzy description I’m painting here – it’s a working business template and model that is unique and hugely productive AND unlike any other I’ve ever been a part of – your post gives me an opportunity to talk about it.

    Had my public school exprience with adults – parents, teachers, administration – been as rich with these kinds of expressions not only would my relations with students but everyone involved increased in value, self-worth, and abundance.

    Never having worked in corporate or small business America, I can only guess that what I’ve expressed and you’ve posted on Steve (and everyone else), is greatly needed for personal and group improvement, satisfaction, and world class success.

    The best to all — Mike

  3. Steve:

    You’re right on the money with living a life of gratitude.

    As a manager at a major pharmaceutical company, we’re told repeatedly that good people leave companies because they don’t feel valued by their managers. Taking time once a week or so to let people know how much you appreciate their hard work and sacrifice, goes a long way in gaining loyalty and developing an environment where people want to give their best. This attitude has also spilled over into my personal life with my children. They are sooooo much more positive when they feel appreciated.

    Thanks, Steve. Love the blog.

  4. Hi Steve – good to hear from you again.

    Gratitude. If there is one way to grow spiritually, it is to adopt a mindset of gratitude. But, even before you can display gratitude to those who are special to you, you must first feel it. You must first recognize the many ways you have been blessed and realize just how good your life is. Too often, people focus on the things that are wrong, things they don’t have, problems they are dealing with. But, we all have some problems – the key is choosing your focus.

    Bill Gove was absolutely right. The emotion of gratitude is powerful – once you decide to adopt it, it’s like looking at the world through a different pair of eyes. Once it’s there, expressing it to others becomes so natural, you do it without conscious thought.

    Thanks for your post – a great way to start the day.

    Rich

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