Gratitude is a superpower

Gratitude is not a woo woo concept. It is a performance enhancer.

In this article I am going to teach you how to use gratitude to change your perceptions day and unlock new performance levels.

Let’s acknowledge what’s real: our minds are expert at finding the negative. We can detect threats both real and imagined. And it doesn’t matter if the threats are real or not, we react the same: stress, anxiety, worry, fear, etc.

Unfortunately, we know that negative mindsets decrease performance.

By learning gratitude and adopting it into your routines, you can shift your mindset to the positive, thereby unlocking more potential.

Maintaining a negative mindset will keep you stuck in the land of mediocrity.

Let’s look at 3 reasons why gratitude works and how to incorporate it into your life.

Gratitude creates a positive mindset

First off, gratitude is all about appreciation and thankfulness. These are feelings of positivity, and this is where our journey begins.

Martin Seligman is known as the father of positive psychology. His research (and that of other researchers) have consistently found that positive mindset’s outperform negative mindsets.

Shawn Achor puts it best in his book The Happiness Advantage:

“Positive brains have a biological advantage over brains that are neutral or negative… positive [emotions] broaden the amount of possibilities we process, making us more thoughtful, creative, and open to new ideas.”

Achor describes numerous experiments where Harvard students were asked to do tasks while performance was measured. Every time, happier subjects performed better than negative or neutral subjects.

What does this mean for you?

Be happy.

Easier said than done, right?

You likely have a lot of things on your mind, you are busy, stressed, and “being positive” feels like something out of a Deepak Chopra book.

Well… there are low cost things you can do to improve your positivity. Achor recommends 7 things to do. Here are 3 or my favorite:

1. Meditate

This does not require you to go on a retreat or become a monk. Just practice mindfulness.

Take 5 minutes (shoot… even 5 breaths) and focus on your breathing. Let your mind be calm and just notice what arises. What emotions come up? What thoughts? When you get distracted, notice your distractions and pull your mind back to focusing on your breath.

This will help calm your mind and stop the mental routine of worry, fear, and focus on the future.

Be present. Be here, now.

1. Exercise

(Sarcastic voice) Weird, right?

They say if exercise could be bottled into a pill it would be the most prescribed pill on the planet.

Exercise balances your neurochemicals like taking a little bit of Ritalin and a little bit of Prozac.

Yes, exercise makes you happier.

You do not need to do soul-crushing workouts to get this benefit.

Do anything.

Do body weight squats for max reps.

Go on a jog.

Jump rope.

Just get moving and get your muscles and heart rate working.

1. Find something to look forward to.

Achor notes that research shows just thinking about doing something you like increases endorphin levels by 27%.

He also states that “often the most enjoyable part of an activity is the anticipation.”

This feeling of anticipation comes from dopamine. Use it to your advantage.

Think of the treat.

Think of the thing you are looking forward to.

Think of the reward.

This can put you in a positive mindset to move forward.

You can check out Shawn Achor’s book here.

Start meditating, exercising, and thinking of what you want.

Get positive.

Aside from positivity, there is another side effect of gratitude: fear mediation.

Gratitude mediates fear

There is a saying in spiritual communities that all actions can boil down to one predominant emotional root: either fear or love.

I believe this to be true.

When we are fearful, we cannot perform at our highest levels.

Our fears come from perceived dangers. I talk about this in the article on stress. We fear not having enough, being judged, saying the wrong thing, hurting others, being hurt, and on an on. To protect ourselves from these dangers, we guard our actions and words. We do nothing or say nothing.

Fear can paralyze us, and performance does not live in the land of paralyzation.

Guess what you can do to get rid of fear?… yup. Practice gratitude.

When we acknowledge the blessings we have, who we are, and the people around us, we can feel a sense of appreciation and acceptance. We can recognize that we have little to fear, or that our fears are unfounded.

Not sure where to start?… Let’s take stock of what you can be grateful for:

1. You woke up this morning.

Jocko Willink, an ex-Navy Seal and leadership consultant, leads a busy life. He runs multiple businesses, trains jiujitsu every day, produces podcasts, writes books, is a public speaker, and more. He does a LOT. When asked how he does it all, he reminds people of those whom he fought with and are no longer with us.

He woke up this morning. For him, he owes it to his fallen comrades. They are not here. He is. Therefore he puts in the work.

Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor and Stoic philosopher, constantly reminded himself of his mortality.

He wrote, “When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…“

He also wrote, “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

You woke up this morning. Be thankful.

1. You have a working mind

How would you feel if you knew you would lose your mental faculties in 5 years?

What would you do differently today?

How many people do you know who have had a family member with Alzheimers or Dementia? What toll did it take on the family?

The WHO estimates 55 million people suffer from Dementia. That number is expected to triple in the next 30 years.

While there are things you can do to protect your brain, this article is not about health… but being thankful.

Our minds are powerful things.

From our minds we build relationships, experience our lives, and create the world.

Be thankful.

1. You are loved

You have people in your life who love you. They care about you. They wish the best for you.

Also, you love in return.

This might include your family or friends.

Regardless of who it is, there are people who you positively impact just by being you.

Relationships matter.

A recent study showed how strong relationships boost happiness, health, and longevity.

Many people are fearful of losing relationships. Remind yourself of the relationships you have and how important they are.

Be thankful.

We’ve covered positivity and fear, but there is another strong side-effect of gratitude: purpose.

Gratitude fuels your purpose

When we feel grateful, we are more likely to see the world as a place of opportunity rather than a place of scarcity. We are more open to new ideas and experiences, and more willing to take risks.

We are also more likely to be kind and compassionate to others, which can lead to stronger relationships and a greater sense of community.

All of this contributes to you fulfilling your purpose.

To fulfill your purpose, you will need to take risks, experience new things, and strengthen a community.

When you eliminate fear and have a positive mindset, you free up mental space to focus on task execution and problem solving.

What impact do you want to have?

What relationships do you want to build?

Whose life can you change?

Purpose fuels action. Action leads to personal growth and development.

This sense of purpose is critical to our overall well-being. When we have a clear sense of what we want to achieve and why it matters, we are more motivated to take action and overcome obstacles. We are also more likely to experience a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives.

Action steps

So how can we cultivate gratitude in our lives and use it to fuel our sense of purpose? Here are a few tips:

• Make gratitude a daily practice

Take a few minutes each day to reflect on the things you are grateful for. Write them down in a journal or simply think about them in your mind. Focus on the small things as well as the big things. It can be helpful to do this first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

• Talk with your future self

Your current stressors are temporary. You know you will make it out of the current situation. Imagine your future self and look for the silver lining. How will this current challenge make you stronger? How will you need to show up to grow and adapt? Your future self will have already experienced this and come out stronger. Imagine your future self and feel what it’s like to come out stronger. This can help shift your mindset from one of fear and negativity to one of hope and possibility.

• Help others

When we help others, we not only make a positive impact on their lives, but we also feel good about ourselves. Look for opportunities to volunteer or simply do something kind for someone else.

• Prioritize perspective

When we get caught up in our own problems and challenges, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Keep a sense of perspective by focusing on the things that really matter in life, such as our relationships, health, and wellbeing. When you feel overwhelmed, take 5 big deep breaths. with each exhale, clear your mind. With each inhale, think of something you are grateful for. This will do two things: It will help you refocus on the task at hand, and it will give you a sense of calm appreciation thus shifting your mindset to the positive.

By incorporating these practices into our daily lives, we can cultivate a sense of gratitude and purpose that can help us achieve our goals and live a more fulfilling life.

Be thankful, and crush it.

Clark