By Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
When things don’t go your way, “looking on the bright side” is a real test of your ability to show gratitude. No one is perfect at showing gratitude at first, but here’s an idea that can help that I learned from Tim Ferriss, author of Tools of Titan and The Four Hour Work Week.
He says “My girlfriend made and gave me the Jar of Awesome as a gift, because I’m very good at achievement and historically not good at appreciation. Here’s how it works: There is a mason jar on my kitchen counter with jar of awesome in glitter letters on the side. Anytime something really cool made me excited or joyful, doctor’s orders are to write it down on a slip of paper and put it in this mason jar. When something great happens, you think you’ll remember it 3 months later, but you won’t. The Jar of Awesome creates a record of great things that actually happened, all of which are easy to forget if you’re depressed or seeing the world through grey coloured glasses.
I tend to celebrate very briefly, if at all, so this pays dividends. The Jar of Awesome has had a tremendous impact on my quality of life. I came to realize that A) If you’re serious all the time, you’ll wear out before the truly serious stuff gets done; and B) if you don’t regularly appreciate small wins, you will never appreciate the big wins. They’ll all fall through your fingers like sand as you obsess on the next week, the next to do, the next thing to fix.
Now, if you don’t want to have a jar with “Jar of Awesome” written on it, you could just put a huge star or exclamation point on the side. However, the more serious you are in “real life,” the more ridiculous I think you should make it. Who are you trying to impress? If you have kids, get them involved. Many of my fans now have their entire families developing gratitude using this simple, Low tech godsend. Cultivate the habit of putting something in every day. Look for the good, practice finding the good, and you’ll see it more often.
Keep a “jar of awesome” in plain sight to remind you that good things – and a lot of them – have happened when life gets you down. Don’t take for granted that the little things are the big things.”
Here’s to owning your gratitude,
Warm wishes,
Lori
LORI MILNER is the engaging facilitator, thought leader and mentor known for her insightful approach to being a modern corporate woman. Her brainchild, the successful initiative Beyond the Dress, is the embodiment of her passion to empower women. Beyond the Dress has worked with South Africa’s leading corporates and empowered hundreds of women with valuable insight on how to bridge the gap between work and personal life. Clients include Siemens, Massmart, Alexander Forbes, Life Healthcare Group, RMB Private Bank and Unilever to name a few. Lori has co-authored Own Your Space: The Toolkit for the Working Woman in conjunction with Nadia Bilchik, CNN Editorial Producer. Own Your Space provides practical tools and insights gleaned from workshops held around the world and from interviews with some of South Africa’s most accomplished women to provide you with tried-and-tested techniques, tips and advice to help you boost your career, enhance your confidence and truly own your space on every level. Own Your Space is the ultimate ‘toolkit’ to unleash your true power. It’s for the woman who wants to take her career to new heights and who is ready to fulfil her true potential.
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