Gratitude – The Secret to Getting Back Up

 


 

David J. Pollay

 

Gratitude changes your life for the better.

Gratitude – The Secret to Getting Back Up©
By David J. Pollay

 


 

Greater Good Magazine, founded by Dacher Keltner, a California-Berkeley psychologist and highly regarded researcher, recently dedicated an entire issue to gratitude. The Summer 2007 issue is entitled, Building Gratitude.

Increasing your gratitude is good for you and for the people around you. Gratitude changes your life for the better.

Gratitude Researcher, Robert Emmons, author of Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, made the case by (more…)

Healthy Thanksgiving

bouquet of thanks

While driving home from a client’s office, I felt some strange symptoms. The kind of symptoms that could mean nothing or could be signs of impending death. The kind of symptoms you would feel foolish wasting the hospital’s time with or could burden your family permanently. What to do?

Luckily, I have a great relationship with a first-rate internist and his office was near the next highway exit. I didn’t go there directly, of course. I telephoned my wife to let her talk me out of being concerned. Instead, she met me at the doctor’s office.

My doctor immediately (more…)

Have Some Happy

 


 

Ferrari

Most of my CEO executive coaching clients have detailed, measurable goals. We use them as navigational aids, comparing interim results with plans and expectations, to help the client make adjustments to their attitudes and activity. I was in the midst of one such review when the client took the conversation in a novel and fruitful direction.

I asked, “Have you looked into that club for sharing exotic sports cars we discussed?”

“I’ve been thinking about that, ” he responded. “Why (more…)

The Oft Evaded “Now”


 

Reason is what tells us to ignore the present and live in the future. So all we do is make plans. We think that somewhere there are going to be greener pastures. It’s crazy. Heaven is nothing but a grand, monumental instance of the future.

Listen, now is good. Now is wonderful.

Mel Brooks

 


Click to see larger image

A wonderful–and apparently unique–skill we humans have is the ability to weave the recalled events of the past and the imagined events of the future into a meaningful story. Tragically, we are often the victims of this skill though we could be its master. Most of us spend more time in this story of memory and speculation than we do in our present experience. We overlook “now” as we endlessly evade the present by engaging in regret, worry, or hope.

I saw a small example of this recently in my CEO executive coaching group. One member mentioned that (more…)

Mutual Appreciation


Linked In

I am a great fan of the social networking site for professionals, LinkedIn. It is a powerful business tool. While discussing its use and value with a group of business people whom I was coaching, I made a promise to write recommendations for everyone in the group.

I was, as usual, feeling drained and tired by the time I got back to my office after facilitating the executive coaching session. I wanted to keep my word, so I spent about an hour writing 30-50 word referrals for each of these clients and posting them on LinkedIn. Then I got on with my usual work.

I noticed that something important that night; (more…)