Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Hello Ellen:

Thank you for a very powerful simple transformative approach. I particularly like # 4. In my experience, it's very effective when seeking to achieve organisational change because the human being that doesn't respond to genuine appreciation hasn't yet been born.

Thanks Galba, I started listing these myself and within days I filled a small notebook. It also reminded me to focus more on being thankful -- cause I can often forget in the rush to keep up:-)

Hello Ellen:

I agree with you. I call this method the power of the inventory. I wrongly referred to item when I meant 5. As we agree, 4 is very powerful.

Great reminder. Thank you Ellen! Happy almost Monday!

Hi Ellen,
Great tips! An attitude of gratitude changes lives... ours and those around us. Thank you!

Ellen, you have gift of encouragement as you live it in real life that seems to surpass the norm. The "Thank You's" work as you actually intentionally do this more daily. And, it would seem that the more you say thank you or encourage others, the more satisfaction you would feel within at the same time. All the money or thrills in the world could not replace it.

Thanks Kirsten, As I read your post I was thinking of the many folks who deserve a Thanks You - and how many more would get the thanks they deserved if we passed this habit around:-) thanks for the inspiration to do just that:-) It's fun to have another new day to give it a whirl!

Hey Phil -- you model this stuff well - THANKS BACK! Today is a happy Monday for me -- cause I have a tee time! Go golf!!!!

I completely agree. Two things helped me quite a bit:

o The book "How Full Is Your Bucket?" by Rath and Clifton
o The excellent article on thank-you notes: "The power of a note" by Fred Bauer, Reader's Digest, Dec 1991 (check your library for it). The gist is the four S's: sincere, short, specific, and spontaneous.

I now carry gratitude artifacts so that I can easily express appreciation for people when I notice. Otherwise, I know I'll loose the opportunity/moment. Here are some examples:

o "Drops in the bucket" that I've printed out from here: http://www.bucketbook.com/content/default.aspx?ci=12130 . I've given them to our librarians.
o Small thank you notes and envelopes. I've given them to hosts of my workshops, for example.
o NASA stickers (they're a client). Fits in with my niche, as well as being fun and relatively rare here in the northeast.

What I've noticed is 1) people don't expect these (should tell us something - as you point out), 2) they really get a lift from small expressions, and 3) *I* feel great doing this. I agree that it seems to amplify.

Great post - thank you.