This time of year creates such a mix of emotions. The lights, decorations and overall joy of the season make even the coldest day feel a little warmer. The hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, entertaining and rushing from event to event may be the highlight of one person’s year, but it can be very stressful for another. Additionally, sadness can creep into the season when thinking of those not able to celebrate with us. Those emotions tend to drive how we interact with and respond to those who we encounter throughout our day.

In late November, my company hosted a staff retreat. We discussed where the company has been, where it is now and where we are going. We had an outside presenter come in to teach about what true wellness really is. The theme of the presentation was that if we take care of ourselves, we will be able to be more present and productive. We all participated in an exercise in which we paired off with a partner and spent one minute taking turns saying things that we were grateful for. The activity was very simple, but it made a huge impact. Leading into the retreat, I was excited to spend time networking with my co-workers from near and far who I typically don’t have time to really connect with on a more personal level, but I was also thinking about my to-do list and ever increasing email inbox that I was not going to be able to get to during the work day. That simple exercise of learning to be grateful for anything from a loving family, to a great work environment, to a warm cup of coffee on a cold day, made everyone very aware of how incredibly blessed we truly are. Although we all have ups and downs, the list of things for which we can be grateful far outweighs the list of problems. That realization brought positivity, relaxation and openness to the day. Just think about how our interactions with clients, vendors, staff, friends, family and acquaintances could be changed if we took a few minutes each morning (and maybe when we are encountering a difficult situation) to think about what we are grateful for. My conclusion is that our interactions would be significantly more positive and, in turn, would be more productive.

I challenge each of you to test my theory. Try the activity for a week. See if it helps to change your overall attitude each day.

Wishing you positivity in all you do this coming year,