the Southwestern Company Sales Blog

Our marketing team at The Southwestern Company is listening to an audio project from Dan Sullivan called The Gratitude Principle.  In it, Sullivan proposes that we can achieve endless progress and success in our lives as long as we are thankful each step along the way.

Have you ever met someone who was thankless?  Someone who feels life owes them?  (I can think of a few government entitlement programs at this point.  Or ever witnessed an unhappy tot screaming because their parents didn’t give them what they wanted?)  Lack of thankfulness is a huge obstacle to personal progress; Sullivan cites three:

1)  People who feel sorry for themselves.   These people see everyone who is getting ahead.  Other people have so much!  (“If I had the territory [insert top salesperson's name here] has, I could do well too!”)  These folks find it harder and harder to improve their situation.  They have no gratitude.

2)  Self-made people.  These people have done a great job working hard and creating their success, but they see all this as their own doing.  They forget who helped them get where they are.  (“Have you seen my latest sales award?”)  They have no gratitude.

3)  People “born on third base”.  Some people live in advantageous circumstances and take everything for granted.  As the saying goes, “they were born on third base and they think they’ve hit a triple.”  When things go wrong, when it starts going downhill, these people get upset because “life’s not fair”.   (“Someone’s to blame for this!  It’s not my fault!”)  They have no gratitude.

So how do we combat thanklessness and the negative emotions which ensue?  We must understand that value & meaning are internally generated.  Happiness and gratitude come from within. These states are a conscious act.  In other words, we have to practice being thankful.  Being thankful is not always a natural state of mind.

I heard once that the first sign of maturity in a young person is thankfulness.  So since my children were little, I’d help them say prayers at night when they were going to bed.  One of our first utterances has always been to talk to God about what we’re thankful for.    My hope was that this attitude of gratitude would sink in, and this would mold their character for the good.

So here’s an exercise for you at Thanksgiving time: make a list of everything you’re grateful for.  Your sales job, your health, your family, your friends, your country, the fact that you’re above ground!  Engage the family.  Have the kids make their own list.  Don’t know what to say during the blessing before the big meal?  Have people share their list!  It is an encouraging exercise, and it can help you and your loved ones turn the tide of thanklessness. 

What do you do to stay grateful?  Comment and share ideas.  Happy Thanksgiving from The Southwestern Company!

 

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