Living Grateful to Be Great-full
by Lisa Marie Platske

As I was driving on the 91 Westbound traveling to Los Angeles for a meeting, I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Attitude of Gratitude”.  I can’t tell you how often I have conversations about that very statement with clients and friends.  Each and every morning, I give thanks for another chance to make a difference, and every evening I pray for the opportunity to try again tomorrow.

Words like thankfulness, gratefulness and appreciation aren’t often found in the titles of typical business book genre.  Business is about the power of winning, engaging fully and making the most money.  Maybe that’s why when I ask a client or business associate the question, “Did someone at work say something nice to you today?”, I rarely hear a resounding “Yes!  Let me tell you about it.”  Typically, I follow-up my question with, “Didn’t anyone praise your work, compliment your tie, ask about your family – anything?!?”, and, unfortunately, my question is too often met with a shake of the head and a look that says, “Are you kidding?  NO!”.

Upside Thinking, Inc. is a for profit company which makes winning contracts, being fully engaged, and making money important if the company plans to stay in business for the next 25 years.  If I were to tell you that I had the secret of how to accomplish all three of these in 30 days or less, might you be interested?!?  I thought so.  The secret is simple and is trying to drive its way home through Southern California on that bumper sticker:  Live with an Attitude of Gratitude.  Be grateful for every challenge and every opportunity that comes your way.  Give thanks for every moment and be present in order to truly see the miracles around you.  Appreciate your colleagues, employees and business partners for all they bring to you, realizing how fortunate you are to assist them in return each and everyday.  Be an upside thinker!

I can see the eyes rolling on some of you now as you’re thinking, “How will this help me win contracts and make lots of money?”  When you live grateful, you live in the here and now, paying attention to your surroundings and refusing to compromise on quality.  Value makes you great-full to your clients, colleagues and customers.  Excellence is the standard and through the law of attraction, excellence will find you in return.  If you don’t believe me, try it for 30 days and see what happens. 

The Gallup Organization conducted a study to determine how the best managers attract, focus, and keep talented employees.  Over 80,000 managers from all levels across a broad range of countries, industries and companies were interviewed.  One of the key discoveries, published in one of the most powerful business books out there entitled, ”First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” by Buckingham and Coffman, were 12 questions that determined what made the best of the best want to remain in an organization.

The first six questions, known as the core questions, started with the most influential and worked their way through the list.  Question number 4 was, “In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?” and question #5 was, “Does my supervisor or someone at work care about me as a person?”  They may not be talked about much in board rooms across the United States but words like thankfulness, gratefulness and appreciation should be found in the titles of the typical business book genre because lasting success comes from the ability to model an attitude of gratitude.

I talk about Upside Thinking over and over again because I believe its principles have validity in achieving excellence.  When I founded Upside Thinking, Inc., my desire was to help others find more happiness, success and meaning by empowering them to make the best choices possible for their business and life.  Living on the upside is to first believe and then see the unlimited possibilities in every circumstance. 

I encourage you to live with an attitude of gratitude.  If you have trouble seeing all that is good in your life, enlist the help of others.  Ask your friends and loved ones what the blessings are in your life.  If you have trouble seeing all that is good in your life on a daily basis, hire a coach.  The premise of coaching is to provide support on our charted course of accomplishment. 

Remember, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey ~ your upside journey.  May you Live Grateful to Truly Be Great-full!   

Lisa Marie Platske is the President and CEO of Upside Thinking, Inc., an international leadership development company that wows audiences with inspirational seminars and workshops and provides coaching/consulting to change the way leaders approach their personal and professional lives.
To more about Lisa Marie Platske and her list of articles