Gratitude is important to cultivate in our lives and companies. It fosters happiness, clarity, abundance, and resilience.

Like attracts like so when you are appreciative and positive, more good things come your way.

(Or you see the good things already there?!?)

Gratitude at Startups

At a startup, each stage is special and hard.

It's easy to focus on what's wrong or look ahead to what's next.

Only to realize afterwards how much fun it was at the previous stage!

(Also true for parenting, sports, learning new things, life in general...)

At startups, a genuine “thank you” can earn more goodwill than all the free snacks or company perks combined.

Gratitude can also be a source of strength through the low lows (that inevitably come with the high highs) of entrepreneurship.

Even on the hardest day, can you be grateful that you control your own destiny, don't work your old corporate job, or are working to make the world better?

How To Be More Grateful

You know you should. But how do you ACTUALLY capture more gratitude and appreciation in the moment?

It's a work in progress, but something that's worked well for me is a daily gratitude habit.

I make a list of 10-20 things that I'm grateful for every day.

I started doing it after taking The Science of Happiness, an amazing online course from Laurie Santos, professor at Yale.

Research shows exercise, sleep, gratitude, and social connection are more important for happiness than money, fame, or promotions.

Even though we think — and act like — it's the opposite…

Some items on my daily list are heartfelt and big. Some are silly and small. Some are things only appreciated when they're missing (health, air conditioning, a good night's sleep!!) so I try to recognize them proactively.

But that's the point, isn't it?

10 Things I'm Grateful For This Week

1. Spending time with my family. Kids are only little once.💙💙
2. State parks!
3. Atlanta Innovation Week. So energizing and fun to see Atlanta collaborating and getting bigger and bigger on the tech scene.
4. Amazing co-workers that are kind, brilliant, and good at so many things that I'm not.
5. Gorgeous fall weather.
6. Heat and air conditioning. I'm less cranky. Possible to visit and live in more places.
7. A potty-trained 2 year old.
8. Sharing behind-the-back compliments.🥰
9. Getting a run in. Bonus: no aches and pains!
10. Short blog posts.😉

A Multitude of Gratitude

Once I get started, I realize I could go on and on. Husband, parents, neighbors, friends, housing, healthy food, bike paths, comfy shoes, hilarious squirrels, libraries, puzzles, modern medicine, eating outside, paying customers, smart engineers, a mentor to learn from, talented interns, a well-designed product, financial stability, a cup of coffee…to infinity.

What are you grateful for this week, this moment, this year, this life?