bcg blog

Systems: Living In Gratitude

My office at home is fairly new - well, not new, but recently repurposed. I’m in the process of emptying out the final few tubs from the garage, trying to find just the right spot for everything.

As I’m digging through the final bin I come across a folder of old thank you and congratulation letters. My work comes to a screeching halt as I sit quietly on the floor and read each individual message. The majority of the letters are from the year of our state championship team, 2021. Community members that I’ve never met, alumni that never miss a game, and friends I had no idea were even aware of our success writing to congratulate me on our team’s accomplishment. I find notes from current players that were in middle school at the time of our state championship, congratulatory messages from colleagues and opposing coaches who we compete against regularly, and even a few letters from my most loyal fans, my kids, Ally and Gabe. 

As I read through the letters, the memories and emotions attached to each individual relationship resurfaces. I can feel each one of them. I cry. I smile. I laugh. But, more than anything I remember - not any of the games, but the people that have been on the journey with me. There’s so many more than I realize. My heart is filled with gratitude. Thankful for all the people that have given of themselves to allow me to be where I’m at, doing what I’m doing. 

What’s better than that? 
The beauty of a written note is that it can provide this reminder to the reader time after time. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed or what has transpired in our lives. We can go back to those moments and emotions in just a few words.

If you’re not writing thank you notes, stop robbing the people you care about of this gift.

Why Should We Care?
Gratitude changes your life.

Gratitude is a lens that smears out every aspect of victimhood while focusing attention on appreciation and acceptance. As your focus on gratitude grows, you begin seeing opportunity rather than adversity, valuing the process rather than the result, and embracing the present rather than concerning yourself too much with the past or future. Gratitude regulates your life.

People who intentionally operate with a mindset of gratitude quickly find the world to be collaborating for them. It’s not that the world actually is scheming for your success, but your attitude alters your perspective to the point that you see possibilities rather than obstacles, what could be rather than what can’t be, hope rather than despair.

Most will agree that living with gratitude is a great way to navigate life, but pass it off as wishful or naive. It’s not. Unfortunately, few people know how to consistently do it and fewer leaders know how to make it a fabric of their team. If left to chance we all defer to allowing our circumstances to determine our attitude and outlook on life.

What we need is an operating system. Without an intentional plan, we will always drift away from gratitude. It’s not exactly the norm in society today.

REAL TALK - Action Steps
Living with gratitude is no different than exercising or dieting. Our ability to stick with it is only as good as the system we have in place to assure its consistency. Here are few ideas to consider as you put a system in place for gratitude in your life:

• Writing it helps you see it. 
  
  • There are few habits that provide more benefits to your life than a daily gratitude journal. As we become more acclimated with recognizing things we are grateful for, we predictably find more things to be thankful for. The law of attraction rings powerfully true for gratitude. We see what we’re looking for.
    

• Saying it helps others repeat it.
  
  • Our resistance to sharing our appreciation for others is mind boggling. We know it helps us. We know it helps the other person. It makes us feel better. It makes them feel better. So … say it. Increasing gratitude is one of the few things in the world where more is always better. In our basketball program we use our team debriefs following daily practices to acknowledge teammates who did well and always finish with an expression of gratitude for being a part of the team. 
    

• Growing it requires giving it.
  
  • What have you ever done on your own? Nothing. Are you responsible for the gifts you were born with? No. Did you choose your parents? No. The number of people that have contributed to any success you’ve had or accomplishments you’re proud of is staggering. To think differently isn’t just selfish, it’s ignorant. You, like everyone else reading this, have an immense amount to be thankful for. 
    

It’s easy to think we’re on this journey alone. The idea of being self-made is a fairytale too many people believe. It’s never true. Nor should we want it to be. Sharing it with others is the best part of the journey.

Checkout Surrender the Outcome on Amazon and order The Score That Matters with Ryan Hawk & Brook Cupps. The latest blog from Blue Collar Grit can be found here!