Guest Blog by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect & co-founder of SnappSales
Sometimes we tend to be so focused on the next big business thing, or on how to make our business better, or when to take our product to market, that we completely forget to pause and appreciate the little things in life that really matter. These could be the things that we have, that we’ve experienced, what we’ve learned, and what we’ve achieved along the way. We forget to show gratitude and to show thanks for all that is and to reflect on how good life has been to us so far.
Have you noticed when you start focusing on the positive and you pay attention to the good things in your life, that things seem to go well? Perhaps you have already cultivated the habit of keeping a gratitude journal where you may write down 5 things that happened that day that you’re grateful for? If you read up on successful people you’ll notice a pattern emerging, where they encourage you to wake up with a feeling of gratitude and to spend those first few precious minutes after waking up by experiencing gratitude for the day and the good it will bring.
Personally I love to bask in the moment, and to show gratitude as soon as I feel that I’ve accomplished something, or when I’ve made a small “win”, for instance arriving at a meeting on time, or kind gestures shown to me by strangers (and those known to me!).
Writing down what you’re grateful for is a great reminder on a regular basis of how much good is happening in your life. I believe that a great part of success is showing gratitude and appreciation.
Here’s a few things that may be seen as small things and occur on a daily basis that we may enjoy but often take for granted.
- Enjoying a good night’s rest
- Waking up next to a loved one with a roof over your head
- Being able to climb out of bed on your own steam and move around unhindered
- Enjoying the ability to see without first searching for specs or contact lenses
- Having fresh air to breathe
- Going to the kitchen and being able to take water from the tap to boil it and make yourself a cup of morning tea or coffee
- Looking at what the day ahead holds and what you’ve planned to achieve that particular day
- To behold the future with joy, excitement and fervour
You might catch yourself at times while doing this thinking why am I doing this, does it really matter? Yet, if we add up all these little moments, don’t they bring together the quality of life that we want for ourselves?
Take the time to focus and show gratitude for all the small things in your life and let it be a reminder of how important they really are.
Karen Wessels is the co-founder and COO of VA Connect, a South African virtual assistant platform that provides outsourced administrative support; and is also the co-founder of SnappSales, a company that generates quality sales leads for its clients. Prior to establishing both her companies, Karen spent over 10 years in different sales, marketing & admin support roles. This experience has equipped her with the invaluable skills required to run her two successful business ventures. Follow Karen on her Personal Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+
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