Use an Attitude of Gratitude to Change your Career

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, prompting us to search for the best sweet potato pie recipe and reflect on what we are thankful for this year.

We all know that expressing gratitude is a great way to boost our happiness and attract more goodness into our lives; however, showing gratitude doesn’t need to be limited to our personal lives.

Here are some ways to show thankfulness in the workplace:

Shift your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have. Sure, you may have been too swamped to stop and pick up lunch, but you can learn a lot through an intense workload. Begin to see challenges as opportunities to expand your knowledge. If you are learning a new skill or software, rather than allowing it to frustrate you, see it as a way to build your resume and expertise, propelling you in the direction the market is going. Once we learn to appreciate challenges as opportunities, we can approach career struggles as a gift to be grateful for.

Be authentic when saying thank you. If your colleague helped you with a last-minute project, rather than just saying, “Thanks for helping!” you could say,  “I genuinely appreciate you helping me with this project. Your willingness to step in was a huge time saver, and I am happy to return the favor anytime.”

Offer public recognition when a boss or colleague helps you out. This could include saying thank you to them in a team meeting, leaving a comment of gratitude on the office board, or complimenting them in a department-wide email.

Want more? 6 Easy Ways to Show Gratitude Every Day.

You can also use gratitude in your dialogue when it comes to:

Asking for a raise: “I greatly appreciate the generosity of this company and am thankful for the career growth I have seen over the past 5 years. I’ve had excellent sales results and exceeded the goals we set out to achieve. I would be grateful if we could discuss adjusting my base salary to reflect my contribution and successes.”

Requesting bigger responsibilities: “Thank you for taking a chance on me when it came to the assistant manager position. Since then, I have read many books on leadership and attended a conference on effective management. I would be grateful if we could discuss larger leadership opportunities.”

By using gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness in the workplace, you are setting the stage for positive things to come your way. Besides – who can say no when you frame your ask so thoughtfully?! Learn more about Why Grateful People Always Succeed.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for YOU and wish you all the happiness and turkey you can handle.

Amy

Photo by Gianna Trewavas on Unsplash