Happy New Year!
Have you reflected on your year and given gratitude for what has come to you? This is the perfect time to reflect and to give gratitude to those who have contributed to your growth this year. Don’t forget to include yourself in that list.
I believe, and have experienced greatly, that every facet of our lives is intertwined – there is no separation – and have adopted an attitude of gratitude for every single facet. Even as I sit with a Christmas cold, I can be grateful for all the remedies and tricks I’ve learned from my light-working friends to stay out of the density of the cold virus. I can be grateful for having a partner who likes to take care of me, for a quiet space to rest, for fresh water to make soothing herbal tea, for the tea, and so much more.
And what if we could be grateful for everything, not just the “good” stuff? As you reflect on your year, what are you truly grateful for? What new things have you learned this year? What new relationships have you formed? What or who have you let go of that no longer serve you in the highest (and can you be grateful for what they did give you)?
My gift today is to share with you 6 pillars of gratitude – having an attitude of gratitude will bring you more things to be grateful for. Think of how you can express your gratitude and appreciation to each of these pillars:
- Clients – As a business owner, without clients and customers, you have no revenues. If you’re an employee, you have clients too (the business group you serve). So how can you show gratitude to your customers? It can be as simple as a thoughtful thank-you, or a client appreciation gift or special VIP treatment. And it’s not just what you do to show appreciation, but how often as well (but not too often that it becomes an expectation). Having regular points of contact will increase the client’s experience with you. No doubt, as a client, I like to feel appreciated and that I’m getting the best product or service for my investment. As a client, when I feel appreciated, I’m more likely to do more business with you and contribute to your cash flow. It’s certainly easier to produce revenues from a few appreciated clients than it is to make cold sales.
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Employees (and contractors) – If you want to grow your business or further your career, you will have a team to support you, either a team of employees or a team of contracted support workers. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to do your business effectively, and your client’s experience would then suffer. It’s a fact that happy employees are more productive and loyal employees. It’s easy to give feedback when things aren’t going right, but what’s necessary is to give gratitude and appreciation to your team when thing ARE going right. When employees feel appreciated, they will be even more committed to producing better results for you. How are you expressing gratitude to your employees?
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Suppliers – We know that client and employee appreciation are key to driving your revenues, but what about your suppliers? I find that when I’m engaged with my suppliers, and show my gratitude for them with thank you’s and referrals, I’m more likely to get even better service from them. It instills greater trust in the relationship with them and reduces my stress levels because I can trust that I’m going to get great results. Showing supplier appreciation can help get things done right the first time, and they may give you even more than what you paid for.
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Referral Network – I have to say that most of my clients have come from referrals. Without my referral network to support me when I started my business, I would have struggled and worked a lot harder to have those clients enter my world. It goes without saying that I feel a world of gratitude to my referral network, but I could do a lot more to show that appreciation. It doesn’t have to be big, but I think showing your gratitude to referrals goes a long way in growing your business and improving your business success.
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Family and Friends – Where would you be without the support of family and friends? When you’re so busy in your business, it’s easy to take family and friends for granted. However, this group is likely your biggest fan base, and wants to see you succeed and celebrate in your success. It’s important to stay connected and spend quality time building and maintaining your personal relationships and showing your appreciation. Speaking first hand, I know this is an area I struggle with – sometimes it’s easier to appreciate strangers than it is to show your family and friends how much you love and appreciate them. However, without support at home, the stress in your home relationships will spill over to create more stress in your business, and both will suffer.
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You – YOU are your business…As a small business owner or solo-preneur, chances are, without you, your business would not operate. Therefore, it’s important to the success of your business that you appreciate you – take care of your body, mind and soul. When you value and appreciate yourself, you are more likely to attract the types of clients, team, and suppliers who will also value and appreciate you, and you will be more likely to value and appreciate your support network (family, friends, referrals, etc). And THAT is great for business success!
To sum it all up, when you truly appreciate all of these pillars and give no one more importance over the other, true success happens. The trick is finding and giving balance to create harmony amongst them. Take the time to reflect on each of your 6 pillars and decide where you will take inspired action to improve those relationships.
Having an attitude of gratitude is a key to success…and I am eternally grateful to you. So, THANK YOU…without you, I have no reason to share these gifts!
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://54.82.103.175/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_0012-resize-square.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Linda Spencer is a CPA, CA, Canadian Tax Specialist and Money Mindfulness Coach. Her mission is to eliminate the stress and anxiety you experience around money and taxes, by empowering you with the know-how and mindsets to improve your business success and financial wellness, so you can have more harmony, joy and abundance in your life.[/author_info] [/author]