What are you grateful for?

On Friday of last week, my book, The Five-Week Leadership Challenge: 35 Actions Steps to Become the Leader You Were Meant to Be, made the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. 

I am thrilled about the book’s performance and the impact it is having. I’m also extremely grateful to: 

• My partners at HarperCollins Leadership for publishing the book and providing guidance throughout the last several months. 
• My teammates at Leddin Group for their hard work throughout the entire launch process and constant belief in the value of the book and how it will help leaders. 
• My family and friends, who cheered me on from the sidelines and checked in constantly to offer help and support. 
• Authors and CEOs who endorsed the book. 

• Those who hosted and attended book tour events in Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Nashville. 
• The many people who congratulated us for making the bestseller list. 

In short, I am grateful to a lot of people for a lot of reasons. 

Here’s the interesting thing about the wave of gratitude I’m riding. Yesterday, I was at Penn State University to kick-off a group of leaders who will be going through The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. My host was wonderful. I ate a delightful breakfast with a group of students, presented to a larger group that was getting to start the Challenge, and enjoyed delicious lunch and conversation. 

After lunch, I said my goodbyes to my Penn State University friends and ordered an Uber to get back to the airport. I then walked out of the building and straight into a torrential downpour. The sky was dark and people were scurrying about. Everyone looked miserable. At that moment, my disposition went from gratitude to gloom. Fortunately, I felt the slide and regained my composure, put things in perspective (see above list), and set my mind straight. 

In the Uber ride to the airport, I reflected on how quickly and inadvertently, I went from one feeling to the other. It was like a switch was thrown. I also thought about all of the benefits that come from being grateful. Gratitude is generally tied to increased happiness and can lead to improved health, greater resilience, stronger relationships, and more positive emotions. 

Being grateful doesn’t have to be based on our fleeting circumstances (like a sunny day), it can be a choice we make every day. Today’s tool and video are designed to help you to remember the benefits of gratitude and to capture what you are grateful for in your life. Watch the video, fill out the form, and reflect on what you wrote down. When times get tough, and they will get tough, pull out the list and put it to good use. 

This week’s podcast ties in nicely to the concept of gratitude.  

How?  

What often goes hand-in-hand with gratitude is a celebration and I spoke to a preeminent authority on the subject. This week’s guest is Colin Cowie. He is the founder of Colin Cowie Lifestyle, a repeat guest on  The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and more. He is the author of numerous books including his most recent The Gold Standard: Giving Your Customers What They Didn’t Know They Wanted. I invite you to listen to my discussion with Colin and take advantage of his insights about finding the big idea, aligning everyone’s efforts, and creating a bit of magic. 

 

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash