Getting better at getting better is what Rise With Drew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we at PCI are doing in our quest to earn a spot on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Two years ago, I participated in philosopher Brian Johnson’s Heroic Coach program. The culmination of the program is a deep dive into what Brian calls the “fundamentals”: sleeping, eating, moving, breathing, focusing, celebrating, and prospering. Today we take a look at the role gratitude plays in prospering.
One of the most powerful ways we can experience and benefit from gratitude is through Gratitude Letters or the Gratitude Visit.
We begin by thinking of someone who has helped us in our lives whom we’ve never truly thanked. We sit down and write a letter to this person, explaining what we appreciate and for what we are thankful about them. We can mail it to them. But, for maximum impact, we visit the person and read what we’ve written.
“In terms of the degree of change in the participants, this is one of the most powerful gratitude exercises to be tested so far,” write Suzann Pileggi Pawelski and James Pawelski in Happy Together: The Science of Positivity to Build Love that Lasts. “In individuals participating in the study, there was a significant increase in happiness and decrease in depression, and these benefits showed up immediately and lasted for up to a month.”
One of my goals for the rest of the year is to write one Gratitude Letter each month and follow up with a Gratitude Visit. I will report back later in the year and share how it went.
More next week!
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Reflection: Who am I grateful for?
Action: Write them a letter. Deliver it. Read the letter. [Then, send me an email to let me know how it went!]
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