Thanksgiving: Why Filling Your Belly with Gratitude is Healthier Than Pie
Thanksgiving is one day a year. But gratitude can be a daily practice.
By Molly Rudberg, MSC, ACC
The start of the holiday season introduces a cornucopia of emotions. First, there’s the stress tied to meeting end-of-year deadlines, budgets and quotas. Then, relief in finally (finally!) clocking out for a much-needed break — only to head in to family dysfunction and (potentially excessive) wine consumption. Ultimately though, the excitement and anticipation of what the new year will bring wins us over.
The thing is, we’re often so focused on the rush of the holidays that it’s easy to forget one of the most basic lessons — one that many of us were taught as soon as we learned how to speak: how to say thank-you. In other words, expressing gratitude. It’s so important, we devote an entire day to it, filling it with family and friends, enough food to crowd the refrigerator for a whole week, and those little decorative pumpkins and gourds. We do it every year, for just one day. We break bread together as a way to toast our ancestors’ good fortune.
But what about the good fortune we have on a daily basis? In an ideal world, gratitude isn’t reserved for holidays or special occasions. Gratitude needs to be an everyday practice.
But why? Because if we don’t press pause to express gratitude on the regular, we’re missing the point. We’re forgetting to acknowledge the ingredients — the people, the team, the community, our family — that flavor our bounty of good work every single day. By celebrating only the metaphorical harvests (a big client win, quarterly sales goals, etc.), we’re failing to sow the seeds for growth and success in the seasons to come.
Not to mention, forgetting to saying “thank you” doesn’t go unnoticed. Good leaders remember to do it. Great leaders practice it daily. It’s because great leaders don’t let their ego run the show. They let their stars run it. And then, they thank them for their work. Regularly, even.
I was touched by this Harvard Business Review article arguing that ego is “the enemy of good leadership.” If we’re not careful, our ego can corrupt our behavior and narrow our vision. When not kept in check, our ego convinces us that gratitude is something we “owe” only on metaphorical holidays, when our cups runneth over.
So how can we shrink the ego? Give thanks.
The HBR article goes on to say that “humility and gratitude are cornerstones of selflessness,” encouraging readers to make a habit of taking time at the end of each day to reflect on all of the people that helped make that day successful. And then — are you ready? — thank them for it.
If possible, do it in person, by meeting your team in their comfort zone — not yours. If you’re pressed for time, a thank-you email is nice. Even a quick, gracious text is better than nothing. But considering we’ve known for years that digital communications don’t hold a candle to face-to-face connections, personal accounts always win. So at the end of the day, take a break from the screen, rise from your chair and meet your team where they are. Then, say thank you.
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Molly Rudberg, MSC, ACC, is a Chicago-based ontological life and career coach focused on working with extraordinary leaders and businesses committed to realizing an impossible future. She facilitates workshops and speaks to organizations and groups about creating intentional, purposeful, passion-filled work, and is the co-author of “From the Yoga Mat to the Corner Office: A Mindful Approach to Business Success” (Highpoint Executive Publishing, 2014).
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