How was work today? Whether you enjoy every minute of your job or find yourself counting the minutes until the end of the day, you can find ways to make your job – and your workdays – better and more enjoyable. Gratitude can be part of that.
Focus on the positive
When workdays are tough, it can be difficult to feel thankful for anything at work. However, cognitive therapies teach us that how we process life events helps determine how we respond to them, emotionally and behaviorally. How do we process the trials and tribulations of an average workday?
That can be a major factor, especially if we choose to focus on the negatives. That can be turned around, though. It involves making a conscious effort to focus on the positive. When we practice looking for and being more aware of positive aspects of life, we fight off the brain’s natural tendency to scan for and spot the negatives.
Give sincere compliments
How do you feel when you give someone a compliment? It makes the person receiving the compliment feel good, and it can make you feel pretty great, too. The same is true at work. When you give compliments, you sound like an optimistic, thoughtful addition to a team. Just make sure the compliments are genuine; overdoing it may seem insincere, which defeats your whole purpose.
What’s the best way to do that? There are four words that can help you: be polite, precise, prompt, and public. Polite: what’s the point of giving a compliment if you’re not going to be polite about it, really? Precise: pinpoint exactly what the person did well. Promptness: don’t wait to give the compliment. Public: praise the person in front of others.
Use inflection in your voice
Part of keeping the compliment genuine, sincere, and polite is making sure you don’t sound like a robot. Inflections can greatly impact meaning and conversationality. The perfect words with the wrong inflection will sound mechanical and boring.
To that end, be careful that you don’t over-articulate or come across as ultra formal. It is possible to be professional and conversational at the same time. It may be helpful to ask people you trust to give you feedback about how you come across in professional situations.
Be thankful to everyone
When you are thankful, express it – sincerely and frequently. This is true whether you are a leader or an employee within your organization. Just try it; see what happens and how it makes you feel.
Showing gratitude may make others feel good, but it may make you feel great. Many people note that saying thank you to colleagues makes the person expressing gratitude feel happier and more fulfilled. How’s that for a win-win situation?
We’re grateful, too
At 365 Healthcare Staffing Services, we specialize in the recruitment and placement of healthcare professionals in per diem, travel, and permanent assignments in healthcare facilities across the country. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with outstanding people like you; it’s very rewarding to help you find what you’re looking for. Are you ready for your next assignment? Give us a call at 310.436.3650.
