Today, I have a simple reminder for you.

Did you know that the virtue of gratitude may just have some very practical benefits for people who are weary and who are considering quitting their jobs?

In the field of medicine, articles have been posted on the role of gratitude in enabling both doctors and nurses to continue in their professions—even when in stressful situations. Dr. Dyke Drummond writes about the fact of gratitude’s rejuvenating role in the lives of physicians. According to Beth Hawkes, in NurseCode.com, “Practicing gratitude increases resilience and helps prevent job burnout.”

Wow. Sounds like something we all should check out.

People tend to program themselves to remember negative experiences more than positive ones. Our world is filled with negative experiences. We tend to give them more weight. It requires three positive events to “counteract” one negative event. If we’re not careful, negative thinking becomes a habit. It’s possible to even become addicted to the drama.

So, this Thanksgiving, why not turn a holiday into a lifestyle?

What if we leveraged gratitude as a weapon? Once again, nurse Beth Hawkes summarizes this idea, saying: “Gratitude is choosing to focus on the positive. It’s tempting and easy to grumble at work because it’s a cheap way to quickly bond with coworkers, and to feel part of the group. Day shift gripes about night shift, night shift gripes about day shift, and everyone gripes about Lab. What if no one griped for an entire shift?”

One Action Step to Create a Lifestyle

In its essence, gratitude is mindfulness. It’s becoming intentional about your thoughts and not allowing yourself to spiral into negativism. So, I am suggesting we launch the following personal practice, especially if you’re facing high stress and symptoms of burnout.

Try ending your day by scribbling down two to three items you are grateful for. They don’t have to be earth-shattering; just realities for which you are glad they are real. Do this for a number of days, and you’ll soon find yourself noting them during your days; you’ll actually become a “good finder” of things for which to be grateful!

The impact of the gratitude journal has been studied scientifically for years now. The research evidence is strong for many key benefits, all of which help combat burnout.

So, this holiday season, I wish you a “Happy Thanksgiving Year.”

---

Order Now: Marching Off the Map
Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World

Our new book is now available! Leading today’s students often feels like being in a new country with old maps that don’t work. Understanding and connecting with the generation in this land is often times frustrating and draining. We need new strategies on how to march off our old maps and create new ones.

From decades of research and hands-on experience, Dr. Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak collate their conclusions into one resource that helps adults:

• Inspire students to own their education and their future
• Lead students from an attitude of apathy to one of passion through metacognition
• Enable students to push back from the constant digital distractions and practice mindfulness
• Raise kids who make healthy progress, both emotionally and mentally, through their teenage years
• Give students the tools to handle the complexities of an ever-changing world
• Understand and practically apply the latest research on Generation Z

Order Here