Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation. Gratitude is one of those buzzwords that has become more popular of late. It’s the thing everyone is telling us to do. And, if we show gratitude, our lives will be better. However, the thing that isn’t discussed as much is that gratitude can be difficult, for some more than others. At RHI, we believe it isn’t enough to just show gratitude periodically. It really only works when you create a gratitude mindset, and it becomes who you are. If a thankful mentality is consistently cultivated, it can create more positivity and satisfaction, resilience in the face of hardships, appreciation during the good, and forge more meaningful relationships.
The past couple of years have been incredibly productive for RHI. We grew by building our leadership team and adding inspectors. But this year has made additional growth more challenging. Anyone who is involved in real estate knows exactly what we are talking about. When outside forces are hindering you from achieving your goals, it can be hard to be grateful. Our team understands that we do not have control over the outside forces, but we do have control over our inner voice. We want our internal chatter to be able to find the positive in any situation because that is the very thing that helps you see gratitude in down times. It is also the positivity you need to beat back burnout after a trying year.
If you find that gratitude in tougher times, it will absolutely make you approach life in a more positive manner. Sadly, in our society today, many are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Don’t get me wrong, ambition is an amazing thing, but so is giving yourself credit for what you do have and not beating yourself up for what you think you don’t. We stopped trying to compare ourselves to others a long time ago. The only thing we chase now is the best version of ourselves. This helps us see where we started and how much we have accomplished. It helps us feel satisfied and allows us to live more in the moment.
When you are no longer competing with those around you, it is easier to build genuine relationships. This is one amazing gift that a gratitude mindset can bring you. It is easy to fall into the jealousy trap, though. It might be an instinctual trait for humans to size each other up. Therefore, it is expected that continuing to put yourself back in the right mindset will take work. We see this at leadership and team meetings at times. Complaining about people, situations, and even each other creeps in, and we always need to push it out and get back to the positive. If you can do that constantly, you will most likely find that you sleep better and have much less fatigue, especially mentally.
Creating consistency and maintaining a gratitude mindset is not easy. It does take work. AT RHI, we believe the most positive thing you can do is surround yourself with like-minded people. We understand we are the sum of the five people you are around the most. Also, we communicate with those around us in a positive way. We don’t hang with people who complain or gossip excessively. Successful people talk about ideas, not people. From an internal perspective, some team members meditate or sit with their thoughts often. This is a wonderful way to be present in the moment and enjoy the now. Some also utilize planners, journals, or even apps that help cultivate their mindfulness.
Life is going to happen, good or bad. We do not have control over outside forces, but we do have power over our internal selves. We can choose to be complainers or lift others up. We can choose to be grateful for what we have, or we can feel dissatisfied and thirst for more. We can let hardships do us in, or we can push back against burnout. We can stop judging others and start building deep and meaningful relationships. We can let our negativity strip us bare or we can become healthier than ever. There are lots of tools at our disposal to do all these things with a gratitude mindset, but it does need to be with a full mindset. It needs to become who you are and how you live your life. No matter what, find the good even when it is hard.