Gratitude Pays
Quite Literally — Read to See How
Leadership guru, John C. Maxwell points out in Attitude 101 that winning teams (and people) always have a good attitude. And the best attitude to have is one of gratitude.
In his book, Attitudes that Attract Success, author and pastor Dr. Wayne Cordeiro writes about ways to improve our attitude. He suggests rating ourselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on how well we embody each of the following “Fruits of the Spirit”:
Love — How am I doing in helping others achieve their goals?
Joy — Do I bubble over with enthusiasm for the gifts of the day? Do I work to see and appreciate the goodness I see in others and the world around me?
Peace — Am I calm, cool and collected?
Patience — Am I willing to wait to see the results of my actions and those of others?
Kindness — Do I speak and act in ways that show others I care deeply about them?
Goodness — Am I good in the center of my being? Do I want the success of others as much or more than my own?
Faithfulness — Do I exhibit loyalty? Am I dependable?
Gentleness — Do I use a light touch or a heavy hand in dealing with others. Are my words soothing or sarcastic?
Self-control — Am I disciplined? How well do I control my emotions, thoughts and actions? Am I an actor or a reactor? Do I hold tightly to my values?
One could argue these are the parameters of our attitude.
Dr. Cordeiro suggests we work to improve in those areas where we are weak. But others, and this may be a more up-to-date interpretation, say to focus on your strengths. Prayer helps. We can’t do it alone.
A Measure of Success
As I’m sure you do, I use my earnings in the Medium Partner Program as one measure of progress in my writing career here on Medium. Thus, I usually check my earnings each day. I’m not in it for the money, but I enjoy seeing the changes in the numbers each day and seeing how various stories are received. I’m often surprised to see what “sells” and what doesn’t. I know the numbers are skewed by the algorithm Medium uses to assess value and payment, but it’s a fun exercise.
Let’s face it, we all want our stories and poems to be read. And dollars (or pennies) earned is one measure of readership.
The Medium monthly newsletter for June included these statistics:
63.1% of writers or publications who wrote at least one story for members earned money.
5.7% of active writers earned over $100.
$33,617.89 was the most earned by a writer, and $6,386.48 was the most earned for a single story.
I’m only in that 63.1% group. At the rate I’m going, and with a strong dose of good luck, I may reach the 5.7% group in another 10 years, if I live that long. 😊
Still, this morning I was blown away to see a jump of 50% in my monthly earnings in the last couple of days. I can probably afford two cups of coffee this month. Maybe by the end of the month I’ll be able to buy a muffin as well. 😊
What made the difference?
Illumination published my “June Thank You Note To Readers.” It alone earned as much as all my other stories combined. If you’re curious, you can read it here:
The response to this effort moved me deeply, so much that it inspired me to write this article.
True, I put a lot of work into the analysis and the Thank You Note. Tabulating the interactions and creating tags for all my readers and links to stories by faithful readers took time, a couple of days, in fact. But it was a labor of love. Seeing the results confirm my belief:
It literally pays to be thankful!
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have an Attitude of Gratitude. To have and show appreciation provides the social lubricant needed to fill our lives with joy.
Practice, Practice, Practice
We not only need to have an attitude of gratitude, but we need to practice being grateful. In Attitudes of Gratitude, M. J. Ryan writes: “…when we begin to practice gratitude, we create a powerful resonance between our thoughts and our actions, and our souls shine forth in all their brilliance.” (p. 100)
I frequently write gratitude lists in my journal. I thank God for the many blessings in my life. Among other things, He has blessed me with relatively good health, a happy, safe and secure home, two wonderful grown and married children and this Medium hobby that brings me great joy. (I pray He blesses you equally, as well.)
So, we need to seek ways to show our gratitude. In the “Thank You” article, I shared some of the ways I do that. I’ll share another below.
What does God ask in return?
Simply that we “pay it forward.” Share the wealth. We are blessed to be a blessing. Look for opportunities to show appreciation and show it! Create opportunities for others to shine and help them to do so.
I think it was Zig Zigler who said,
“All you have to do to get what you want is help enough people get what they want.”
One side benefit
I awoke this morning to an inbox filled with 294 notifications. You folks have been busy, now I’ve got work to do reading and responding to your comments. As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. 😊
Another way to show gratitude here on Medium, as you know, is to put links in your stories to the works of other writers. A new publication aims to take such encouragement to another level. That publication is READING RHOMBUS. I commend it to you:
If you’d like to write for them, be sure and check the writer guidelines. Contact Holly Jahangiri or Rasheed Hooda, the editors, with questions.
Happy Reading, Writing, Encouraging and Connecting!
References
- Wayne Cordeiro, Attitudes That Attract Success, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 2001.
- John C. Maxwell, Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 2003.
- M. J. Ryan, Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life, MJF Books, New York, 1999.