Thankful thinking: how to grow your career with gratitude

In the never-ending quest for self-improvement, it’s easy to lose sight of what you’ve already worked so hard to achieve.

Rather than fixating on the future or the goals you’ve yet to reach, taking the time to reflect on your successes and privileges might not only benefit your wellbeing, but could add new meaning and perspective to your career and life in general.

Anybody who knows me will know how passionate I am about practising gratitude every day – the good days and the bad. But to appreciate the benefits of being grateful, you need to exercise it.

Think about this: would you show up to a marathon without being prepared? Gratitude is itself an extended journey; something you need to train and instil throughout your life. This could be as simple as taking a few moments each day to pause and reflect on what you have.

Practising gratitude today will prepare you for when challenges knock on your door in the future. In recent years, this is something that I’ve come to realise the importance of, along with the ripple effect a grateful mindset can have.

With gratitude having next to no negatives, what’s stopping you from taking five minutes out of your day? There’s little to lose, but plenty to gain.

Gratitude is a career skill

With workplaces evolving at a rapid pace – spurred by new ways of working and transformative technology – there’s an urgent demand for agile professionals who exhibit transferable skills, such as emotional intelligence or problem solving. While traits such as these are undeniably important for your career, the art of appreciation could be equally valuable.

You might be asking: what’s the link between gratitude and climbing the career ladder? The truth is, being grateful isn’t simply a way to expediate your career trajectory – in fact, that’s somewhat beside point. Instead, it’s a mindset that can add stability and satisfaction to your professional life and beyond. But if it does move you closer to your career goals, all the better.

Here are some of the surprising ways being grateful can add value to your professional experience.

• Develop your resilience: gratitude is perhaps one of the most effective ways of overcoming adversity, with one study linking gratitude to resilient behaviours. Being able to compartmentalise negative thoughts and tap into positive emotions can be invaluable when inevitably faced with setbacks, making you a more adaptable and robust worker.
• Broaden your perspective: by training your mind on the often-forgotten successes and positives in your life, you’ll change your perception of the world around you, and be forced to consider things you might not previously been aware of. This is an important building block to developing a ‘growth mindset’ and bolstering your learning potential.
• Improve your professional relations: the ability to radiate positivity – especially when you or your team are far from feeling it – is a highly valued trait. Outward displays of gratitude can have a knock-on effect on those around you and is a powerful way of developing your interpersonal relationships with colleagues.
• Increase your job satisfaction: The ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, stated: “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” In other words, reflect on how far you’ve come in your career rather than fixating on what you’ve yet to achieve – there’s a good chance you’re the person you aspired to be in years past.

Like any skill, though, gratitude is something that needs to be honed over time. So, what are the best ways to build gratitude into your everyday routine?

Ways you can practice gratitude

Gratitude comes in many forms: whether it’s a simple ‘thank you’ to a colleague, appreciating a well-brewed cup of coffee, or writing down a list of things you’re thankful to have. Try incorporating some of these methods into your daily life.

• Slow down a moment: there’s more distraction than ever in our hectic lives, which is often fed by pervasive technology and blurred work boundaries. Take the time out to focus on the present and savour the current moment.
• Keep a journal: reflection is a core element of gratitude, and regularly writing down some of the things you feel grateful for is an effective way of embedding this positive behaviour into your everyday. You don’t have to be Shakespearian here: simply spending a minute or so jotting down what went well during your day, or what experiences you’re appreciative of, can add up over time.
• Say ‘thank you’ (and try to mean it): when was the last time you gave your thanks with true meaning? For many of us, saying ‘thank you’ is more of a habitual response than it is an act of gratitude. Actively consider exactly why it is you’re grateful for something, and without going overboard, try to let that show when communicating your appreciation.

Don’t forget, you have a life outside of work

Gratitude can be a catalyst for a healthy career, but it shouldn’t be confined to the world of work. To put your profession in perspective, be sure to remind yourself of what drives you outside the workplace, the non-career related achievements you’ve merited, or the people you’re lucky enough to have by your side.

It’s healthy to want to keep improving, and complacency is a sure way to plateau in any given career. However, practicing gratitude is more than just being content with what you have or know – it’s about recognising how far you’ve come, what really matters to you, and making the most of the moment. And no matter where you are in your career, that’s a powerful state of mind.