AMiable Solution #169: More Than a Feeling

Showing your appreciation for co-workers, clients, members, donors, partners, etc., improves your relationship with those individuals, but the benefits don’t stop there.  Incorporating a regular ritual of gratitude in your life benefits your life, too.

UMass Dartmouth’s Counseling Center, in its online article, “The Importance of Gratitude,” reports that people who practice gratitude are more likely to experience better physical and mental health than people who think negatively.  In fact, the article says that people who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis tend to exercise more regularly, exhibit fewer physical symptoms, and feel better about their lives in general. 

Furthermore, the article claims, people who talk about the things they’re grateful for on a daily basis are more alert, more enthusiastic, more determined, and more attentive than those who don’t.  They’re also more energetic and sleep not only longer and but also better.

What do you have to do to get the goods for feeling good?  You could follow the advice of Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology.  Emmons recommends keeping a “gratitude journal.”  Doing so forces you to focus on the positive by identifying and listing the things going on in your life that you’re thankful for.

But you don’t have to physically write anything down to reap the benefits of grateful thinking.  Even just taking a few minutes a day to mentally acknowledge the good things in your day can create a change in attitude and a change in outlook.

With that in mind, we’d like to put you at the top of our gratitude list.  Thank you for your partnership, your business, and your friendship.  We are a better organization because of you.  Happy holidays, and happy new year.

AMiable Solution #168: Good Giving

If you find yourself struggling to feel good about the holidays, or if you simply want to support a charity but don’t know the best way you or your organization can do it, you might want to consider one of the following.

1. Order your last-minute gifts through www.goodsearch.com.  This site enables you or your organization to shop online with more than 2,800 stores.  Every time you make a purchase, the participating store donates a percent of your purchase price to the cause of your choice.
2. Want to get your non-profit additional exposure and open up a new donation avenue by becoming a GoodSearch charity?  Visit http://www.goodsearch.com/causes/new to submit an application and be considered for inclusion.
3.  Carry the spirit of giving into the new year by creating your own charitable fundraiser.  Start by selecting a local organization or cause that’s meaningful to you or your group.  Then, establish the way in which your clients, customers, or members can contribute to the cause.  Whether you donate a set dollar amount or percentage of each purchase made from your company or you simply provide free marketing and easy instructions for making a donation, your efforts could make a difference for the foreseeable future.
4.  Collect coupons for local non-profits.  Do you have a coupon-clipper in your house, your department, or your organization?  Unused or unneeded coupons can be donated to any charity, offsetting their costs and providing much-needed supplies to men, women, and children in need.

AMiable Solution #167: Everyone’s a Manager

If you had to change one thing about your work habits, what would it be?  If you said to improve your multitasking skills, you may want to reconsider. 

According to author Garth Sundem in his February 24, 2012, Psychology Today article, “This Is Your Brain on Multitasking,” not many people are good at working on two things at once.  In fact, Sundem reports that only 2% of people can perform more than one task at a time effectively.  Those among the other 98% who try to work two tasks simultaneously don’t do either one well.

So where does that leave the majority of us?  With an opportunity to become better time managers.  We may not be able to do many things well at once, but we can learn to be more efficient at the one thing we’re working on. 

You can find all sorts of strategies and tips regarding time management in books and online, but we like this one from Meghan Keaney Anderson, VP of Marketing at HubSpot, best.  In her April 10, 2013, blog, Anderson recommends giving yourself a block of time to work on or complete a task.  Do nothing else, she says, despite how tempting it may be to check email, take a snack break, make a quick phone call, etc.  Then, when time is up, stop.  Sticking to a schedule will not only motivate you to get each job done, but it will also assure you that you made the most of your time, even if it takes you multiple time blocks to finish.


Even one little change can make a difference in your day and your productivity.  Why not give it a try?

AMiable Solution #166: Practicing Patience

Patience can be hard to come by when we’re dealing with setbacks, trying to do too many things at one time, approaching deadlines, lacking motivation, having trouble getting ideas, etc.  It can be easy to give in to negative thoughts, bad attitudes, sloppy work, and inattention to detail. 

But when we get bogged down and stressed, patience can make our work its best.  Patience can see us through the slow sales or response rates and into success.  It can help us avoid errors and hard feelings.  Patience can help us get the work done better, not just sooner.  We just have to learn how to exercise it.

Dr. Judith Orloff, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, suggests getting in long, slow lines--at the DMV even, if you’re brave--to practice patience.  In her September 18, 2012, Psychology Today article, “The Power of Patience,” Orloff says, “Practicing patience will help you dissipate stress and give you a choice about how you respond to disappointment and frustration. When you can stay calm, centered and not act rashly out of frustration, all areas of your life will improve.”


We don’t think any of us are willing to stand in a DMV line to learn patience, but if we make a little effort--a deep breath here and there--we’ll not only cultivate a skill that enables us to take control in out-of-control situations, but we’ll also develop a resource that will benefit us in all areas of our lives for as long as we live them.