On Mental Wealth #8: Put more than a little Grad in your 'tude đ
Gratitude...attitude and action
It may be holiday season, but gratitude can't be contained by dates on a calendar.
Business as a part of life. That's why I'm going to share non-business links in this issue of On Mental Wealth. If you're grateful about non-business parts of your life, then there's a natural overflow into whatever you do to earn money or create jobs for other people.
Gratitude is expressing some form of thankfulness for an experience and action by another person for you. Yes, you may be able to be more technical but let's go with this definition for this week.
According to a study by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, "those who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended. This suggests that gratitude writing can be beneficial not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals, but also for those who struggle with mental health concerns."
It's important to note that they people in this study were actively seeking help, and not being forced to participate.
While gratitude journals and letters may be part of the current productivity hype, the practice is not new. At the same time, I dig the available studies that help inform people searching for answers today.
The only true way for you to understand the mental and physical benefits of gratitude is to practice it on a daily basis.
Mental Wealth Deposit of the Week
A Daily Dose of Gratitude
Gratitude is a core part of creating wealth. It compounds over time to exponentially impact your mental wealth.Â
This week, I shared my gratitude with my friend Nate and his wife, Michele for opening their home to me during my stay in Portland, OR.
Here's your for challenge for each day:
For you - What are you grateful for at the start of your day? At the end of your day? Capture your answers in an audio or video recording, or a written journal.
For others - Celebrate at least one person who has impacted your life.
Over the next 365 days, don't let Thanksgiving and the holiday season in general, be the only time that you show and share gratitude for the people and experiences in your life.
Deeper Dive
Gratitude and prosocial behaviour: An experimental test of gratitude (2006) by Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D.: This study uses actual human interaction to study gratitude instead of participants reading about a scenario. The former has a greater impact than I would have thought.
Science Proves That Gratitude Is Key to Well-Beingby Andrea Brandt, Ph.D.: This is a great article that includes links and summaries to multiple research studies about gratitude. Deep dive to your heart's content :)
My Current Work with Founders
1-on-1 Founder Mental Wealth Roadmap Sessions:Â
These are two (2), 2-hour sessions with startup founders who identify as "underestimated" aka Black, Person of Color, Woman, LGTBQA. They are designed to move you from overwhelmed and on the verge of burnout to confident and able to overcome imposter syndrome and other typical challenges faced by our peers.
Dates:Â December 1 to January 15th
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On Mental Wealth is a weekly publication created by Anthony Ware, Principal of AWare Catalysts. It's the fusion of mental health, culture, and business based on his experiences working with Black, People of Color, Women, and LGBTQ+ startup founders from around the world.Â
Who is Anthony?
I help underestimated startup founders who are struggling with imposter syndrome, or mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, create their Mental Wealth Toolkits, so they can:Â get out of their own way, regain confidence, hire the right people, accept the right investors money, create generational wealth for their families, and find joy in the journey.
You can find out more about my life here.
What is Mental Wealth? Mental wealth is a key part of the foundation of the next evolution of humanity. It's the collection of intentional thoughts, behaviors, and experiences âmental wealth depositsâsomeone uses to make a positive impact on their mental health. These deposits have a cumulative positive effect, especially useful during times when youâre challenged with mental illnesses and external events.
This post originally appeared in On Mental Wealth, a weekly creation by Anthony Ware, Principal, AWare Catalysts.