November is a reflective time of the year for most people. We think about what is appening in our work and personal lives, and about what we are most grateful. Because there is so much uncertainty and negativity surrounding us locally and globally, I chose to rerun the Tips From JJ Nov '08 e-letter again this year. Sometimes we need a boost of motivation to get into the spirit of the upcoming holidays! JJ's (Nov ‘14) Tips in this issue: 1. Attitude of Gratitude Use the following tips as training tools. Present this situation to your group and brainstorm solutions together, or submit your own situation question to be answered in an upcoming newsletter. ------------------------------------- Do you have an attitude of gratitude today? If not, regardless of your current circumstances, you are missing one of the most valuable traits that can brings happier emotions, better health and a longer life now. --------------------- Twice this week I was thanked for the help I had given to two women in my life. One was my daughter Stacy, who called just to thank me for being supportive and always available to talk to her about work or personal things through the years. The other expression of gratitude was from Rena, who is a close friend I've known since Stacy was two years old. We were in a young junior women's club together and at that time I was a fashion coordinator for a large department store putting on fashion shows. Rena was one of the club models I trained to model in the shows year after year. Recently she was touched by a note of encouragement that I had written to her after her husband passed away. It triggered her attitude of gratitude back to how much my training and praise had boosted her confidence and self esteem then and throughout the many years since. Their gratitude made both of us smile and feel happier that day. Many studies have been done on the positive affects expressing gratitude has on our health and sense of well being. For Thanksgiving, I planned to write about gratitude and keeping a gratitude journal, and this week, to my surprise, a holiday magazine from TimeToSpa came with an article called, "Gratitude". Here is part of the article: GIVING THANKS...GETTING GRATEFUL Studies show that when we are more appreciative and grateful to be alive, we age more gracefully, says San Francisco-based author M. J. Ryan, who has penned books like Attitudes of Gratitude and Giving Thanks. "It activates a part of the brain that floods the body with the feel good hormones. When we think negative thoughts, we activate the stress hormones that suppress our immune system, because our bodies are only interested in the short term fight or flight survival. Every time we think negative thoughts we are bathing our bodies in toxic hormones, where as positive emotions are the antidotes." Need more help figuring out how to be more thankful? Give these a try........ 1. Focus on what's right in your life instead of what's wrong. 2. Create visual or auditory reminders. Have a popup on your computer or have reminders sent to your cell phone (sign up for Wellevations, bits of motivation at Wellsphere.com). 3. Say "Thank you" to others as often as possible. 4. Especially when they're annoying or frustrating you, remember why you love your spouse, kids, and friends. 5. Compare well. When you find yourself envying someone, focus on what you do have that others don't. 6. Give thanks for your body. What can you appreciate about it right now? 7. When difficult things happen, ask yourself: What's right about this? Yes, it's awful, but if something were right about it, what would it be? What lessons am I learning? 8. Look for the hidden blessing in challenges. How have you grown? 9. Imagine that this day is the first and last of your life. How would you treasure it? 10. Practice daily. Write in a journal. Email with a "gratitude partner," much like an old-fashioned pen pal. Think about everything you appreciate when you're driving home from work, at dinner with your family or before going to sleep. Do this every time you begin to feel less grateful. Remember, the more you create a routine, the easier it will be to remember. Adapted from Attitudes of Gratitude by M. J. Ryan, Conari Press, 1999. Thanks for reading my newsletters, attending my seminars and letting me help you increase the quality of your work and life. Please give me a call when you need more in-depth help in your company. Happy Thanksgiving!
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE in an area? Service? Sales? Call for your FREE CONSULTATION now EVALUATION OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT Have you had an Evaluation of Your Environment lately so you could receive suggestions on improving it? (It's like the doctor's check up, you often don't know you need it, until after you've had it.) http://www.jjlauderbaugh.com/about.html **************************************** JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC JJ works with companies that want to give exceptional customer service to increase sales,
and with Directors and Call Center/Help Desk Managers who want to improve human
performance. ---------------------------------------------------------- Reprinted with permission
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