The superpower you can always tap into 🦸‍♀️

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Gratitude

My friend, in November 2005, I was deploying my company to Iraq.

As my First Sergeant and I prepared our soldiers for deployment, we knew we'd all miss Thanksgiving with our families. It's one thing to understand this intellectually. It's another to experience the weight of that absence when the day arrives.

Sometimes it's absence that teaches us the deepest lessons about gratitude.

While we worked to make those holidays special for our soldiers, we couldn't fill the voids left by distance.

What we could do, however, was help everyone understand something profound: gratitude isn't just about being thankful for what's present. It's about recognizing the value of our connections, even when circumstances keep us apart.

Beyond “Thank You”: The Science of Gratitude 🧠

When I reflect on that Thanksgiving in Iraq, I now understand something I couldn't fully grasp then: gratitude is more than a sentiment.

It's a powerful force that shapes our well-being and strengthens our connections with others. Research from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center reveals that gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness and positive emotions. Their studies consistently show that people who practice gratitude report stronger relationships and deeper social connections with others.

UCLA's Mindfulness Awareness Research Center has begun to uncover the neurobiological aspects of gratitude.

The data suggest that gratitude practices may influence the brain regions associated with emotion regulation and behavior.

While this research is still emerging, it points to something many of us have experienced: gratitude can fundamentally shift how we relate to our experiences and to each other.

The Connection Factor 🤝

Here's what makes gratitude so powerful: it's both personal and relational. That Thanksgiving in Iraq taught me that gratitude doesn't just change how we feel – it transforms how we connect.

A Message of Gratitude 🙏🏽

Life has a way of teaching us its most important lessons through experiences we might not choose for ourselves.

That deployment helped me understand that every shared moment is precious – not just the big celebrations, but the small connections that make up our daily lives. The science reinforces what many of us intuitively know: gratitude isn't just good manners; it's good medicine. When we express genuine gratitude, we strengthen the bonds that make life meaningful.

We build resilience that helps us navigate challenging times.

We create spaces for deeper connections.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, my dear reader. Your engagement with this newsletter, your thoughtful responses, and your willingness to explore these ideas about leadership and personal growth mean more than you know. Every week, you invite me into your inbox, and I don't take that privilege lightly. 🙏🏽

All of our days are limited, so it's important to make the most of the ones we have.

Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving surrounded by family, working through the holiday, or marking the day from a distance like my soldiers did in 2005, I hope you'll take a moment to recognize the connections that enrich your life.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving. 🦃

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Until next Sunday,

Shawnette