Gratitude’s been getting a lot of hype lately, and not without good cause. Research has found that people who keep a gratitude journal report higher levels of optimism and fewer physical ailments than their non-journaling counterparts. Even if you write for only one week, you’re likely to be demonstrably happier than those who never kept a journal three months after you stopped.
I started thinking about gratitude after writing this post, and began to wonder why so much of what we’ve been hearing about gratitude focuses not on sharing it, but on keeping it to ourselves.
As a final assignment in the class I took about customer co-creation in new product development, we wrote a letter to someone in the class thanking them for their contributions. We as students co-create the educational experience we have in the classroom: part of what we learn is determined by our classmates’ perspectives. I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of the assignment – it seemed silly to HAVE to thank someone, but as I wrote my letter, I realized just how much I’d learned from my classmate’s willingness to speak up and share her ideas.
The final day of class rolled around, and our thank-yous were exchanged. I walked across the classroom to deliver my letter, and when I got back to my desk, I had two letters on my chair. And they kept coming. Out of a class of roughly 40, I wound up with six.
I was shocked. I’d just finished one of the most disappointing and stressful months in my life. I was racked with self-doubt and wanted nothing more than anything to curl up and hibernate for the next six months.
When I got home, I read them, and promptly proceeded to cry.
Sometimes, we need just to hear that our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed – that who we are and what we do has made a difference in the life of someone else.
Instead of keeping what you’re grateful for written down in a journal where no one else will ever see it, share it. Let someone know they’ve made a difference in your life — even if they have no idea who you are.
Have you ever thanked someone for inspiring you (or been thanked by someone else), even though you’ve never met? How do you express gratitude?
