Personal Growth and Development Article:

Show Gratitude And Make 2010
 
Your Greatest Year Ever!

Showing Gratitude Can Increase Your Customer Retention, Loyalty and Sales!

 
by JC Dawkins
 

Showing gratitude is the most powerful and positive tool for business success – online and offline.

“For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.” ~ Charles E. Hodges

Do you have an attitude of gratitude? By having an attitude of gratitude, you can face life and business challenges and roadblocks with a positive perspective and view those challenges as projects or opportunities.

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend…” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

To trigger your consciousness of things you are grateful for, take some time to think about:

1. Who has helped you?
Take 5 minutes each day to send a thank you email, text message or Internet greeting card to anyone that helps you or helped you. Did someone refer a client to you? Did a customer agree to a presentation meeting?

2. Who do you appreciate knowing?
Take a few minutes to show appreciation for those special people in your life. This list includes family, friends, customers, clients, etc. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude can attract more things into your life for you to be grateful.

3. What do you appreciate having?
Write a list of things for which you are thankful. This list may include your life, your health, your well-being, your job, your customers, etc. Writing this list will help you focus on your blessings and help you maintain an attitude of gratitude.

4. What happened today that you are grateful for?
What special connection did you make today? Did you have a powerful coaching call? Did someone attend a special event (teleseminar, webinar, tweetup, or personal function) you held?

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~ John F. Kennedy

“Not saying thank you does more damage, than actually saying thank you does good.” ~ Appreciation Marketing by Wyatt and Lewsey

Additionally, taking the time to show gratitude to your clients will improve your retention, develop loyalty, and increase sales.

Two notable examples of business people who attribute their success, in part, to showing gratitude by sending thank you cards are Mary Kay Ash (founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics) and Tom Hopkins.

The Law of Reciprocity states that when one person gives something to another, they feel the obligation to give back. So, you can be content knowing that they will probably pass on the act of kindness to someone else.

Be sure to express your gratitude daily.

Who do you appreciate?

When you show gratitude for all the wonderful people and things in your life, you can more easily deal with life’s challenges. So, when you do face roadblocks, take a moment to think about everything you appreciate.

Perhaps keeping a gratitude journal will help you easily refer to the things you appreciate. Take 10 minutes each day to jot down all the things that bring you joy and that you are grateful for having in your life.

Practice gratitude everyday by creating a routine that is easy

With the right attitude, you can accomplish anything!

If you like this post, please leave your comments below. I really would appreciate that. If you are a Twitter user, I would really appreciate it if you re-tweeted this article. Thanks.

Try this cool tool that can help you show gratitude to others by sending an Internet greeting card.

If you are serious about making 2010 your best year ever, you need your own self improvement plan and a system for personal growth and development.

Check out our recommended self improvement motivation books.