Angeles Arrien, in her book “Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life”, says that although gratefulness often arises spontaneously, it is also a choice we make. She identifies the four universal portals to the practice and virtue of gratitude: 1) blessings; 2) learnings; 3) mercies; and 4) protections. As we develop our ability to track how the four portals appear in our lives we will find the benefits of gratitude practice are multidimensional, in that they will appear in the four quadrants of life experience that are common to all humans, which are – 1) health and well-being; 2) work environments and communities; 3) financial stability; and 4) relationships. In addition, our personal ‘evolution-experience quadrants’ of both character development and spiritual growth, are influenced by, and in turn influence, our four life-experience quadrants.
In the quadrant of health and well-being, grateful people elicit more support from others. They cope better, have better health, and are more socially adaptable. In work environments the four portals to experience gratitude (blessings, learnings, mercies, and protections) are highly active within the realms of work and community. Work itself is what we have come here to do, whether to earn a living or to volunteer our time. It is our contribution to the world – our purpose, our calling. The financial quadrant is about our experience of solvency and abundance. When we focus our attention on all of the ways we are supported by our financial life, we find many opportunities to be grateful for what we have. In the Relationship quadrant it is important to remember that the longest relationship we have is with ourselves. Therefore, an important component of our life’s experience is to befriend ourselves just as we are, today, in this moment.
As we evolve and mature we develop and scrutinize our character, our values, our authentic voice, our authentic self … and qualities such as integrity, honesty, and gratitude become more precious than accuracy and efficiency. At the same time, our spirit, or life force, at the core of our essential nature, brings meaning to our life and allows us to integrate our internal and external experiences. It is our spirit that makes us unique – as we look for the goodness in ourselves and in others.
The practice of gratitude is yet another key element in developing the skill of Positive Presence – the skill of adjusting and creating a positive an energized mindset within our self through conscious thought processes –providing us with the necessary mechanism to focus on that which will bring us the greatest positive returns in terms of achieving peak performance, for building and maintaining good relationships, and for experiencing good health.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.