I have lived in the United States since December 2001. As an immigrant, I don’t normally celebrate US holidays in my home, unless there’s a purpose I can really connect to.

And I have mixed feelings about Thanksgiving… On the one hand, it represents genocide, and on the other hand, I have, grown to become very fond of the gratitude focus it has today.

As a vegan mom, we don’t have turkey, and the only “celebration” we do is actually art-focused. In other words, “a little weird.”

Let me explain that.

Instead of having a turkey dinner, like most families in the USA, we bring out the art supplies and work on an oil painting together that we gift to someone we are grateful for.

We usually choose someone who has shown up big for our family that year and we express our gratitude and love for them.

I don’t remember how we started this Thanksgiving tradition, but it’s been really meaningful for us over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Elayna Fernandez (@thepositivemom) on Nov 23, 2018 at 5:40pm PST

I do love the gratitude and family focus of the traditional US Thanksgiving Day celebration. I see people very excited to reunite and gather with friends and family to express thankfulness for the everyday blessings they receive in their lives.

I am a firm believer that expressing gratitude creates positive energy, and it is the path to a fulfilled, enjoyable life.

Whether you live in the USA or not, or celebrate Thanksgiving or not, the expression of gratitude can quickly transform your life, and your business — any time of the year.

Gratitude is the state of feeling a deep and sincere sense of appreciation for something or someone. It is not a fleeting act that has a reserved holiday, but rather a habit, a practice, a way of life. Gratitude requires perspective.

Thanksgiving, which is the same as “gratitude expressed,” seems like a lost art today, which makes it a great opportunity to stand out in business, because it may catch the recipient by surprise!

Business is about relationships, and relationships are enhanced when they are based on the foundation of gratitude. Many people thank celebrities and celebrated leaders, but they forget to thank the people around them.

Because I speak on stages all around the world, I travel by plane quite often. “We know you have many choices and we appreciate you flying with us”.

I can hear the flight attendant over the P.A., and even though I already knew I had other choices, it doesn’t get old to hear they value my business. It brings out a smile on my face, even when I know it’s part of a script. Well, someone wrote that script and I am grateful!

5 Ways to Use Gratitude in Your Mompreneur Business

One aspect I really love about my business is getting to be a consultant and advisor to brands and agencies who are seeking to partner with mom bloggers, digital influencers, and mom leaders. 

Believe it or not, one of the most common complaints from these professionals is the lack of courtesy in communication. “Pleasantries go a long way” and that includes gratitude.

Here’s a very short list to practice gratitude in your business as a mompreneur:

Thank your prospects ~ for calling, and visiting your website, for their interest, and for their time. Answer each and every question with enthusiasm (maybe they will never need your service, but I bet they know someone who does!).

Thank new supporters ~ Thank your subscribers, your new commenters, readers, or your clients for their new purchases.

Thank your existing supporters~ Gratitude has been described by many as “wanting what you have.” Do you get so caught up in attracting new clients, readers, followers, partners, or subscribers that you take your past and existing supporters for granted? Acknowledging their loyalty will deepen your relationship!

Thank your evangelists ~ Thank the people who refer others to you! This also means living up to the expectations they set. They are counting on you to make them look as good as they made you look. Don’t fail, show gratitude, and the referrals and shares will keep on coming.

Thank your “complainers” ~ I know it’s easier to thank someone for writing a positive comment or an incredible testimonial, the kind that you use on your promotional materials to instill trust and inspire credibility.

I mean, getting a testimonial is so hard sometimes that even Jesus got one “thank you” when He healed ten! But what about the feedback of the other kind?

“Because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~ Wallace Wattles (1860-1911)

It seems difficult to express thanks when someone disagrees or something goes wrong. Most people will simply apologize “for any inconvenience caused”, but do you realize that the complainers are giving you an opportunity to correct the situation, and making you aware of the glitch/problem (so you can avoid it in the future)? 

“Negative” feedback is essential for growth and whose opinion is more valuable than those of your clients?

Go out of your way to show them you treasure their comments and suggestions and you’ll have clients for life! This is true in other aspects of life, too!

How can you harness the incredible power of gratitude in your marketing?

Just by making a few tiny adjustments to include heartfelt expressions of appreciation in your marketing can make it less automated and desensitized, and more human.

Gratitude is only second to LOVE in its high-energy vibration. When you have an attitude of gratitude, instead of resentment, jealousy and envy, or victimhood, you will attract more opportunities to be grateful. 

By making gratitude a year-round habit, you can increase brand affinity, brand awareness, and brand loyalty, because it is perceived as an extra value, at low or zero cost!

Create “thank you pages” and customize them to include a fun or inspiring personal touch, next steps, contact information, and a call to perform a desired action. I even customized my 404 page!

Thank your audience for their support each time you reach a significant milestone. I recently won the Best Latina Lifestyle Blogger award, and, to be honest, my blog wouldn’t be a blog without YOU, my readers, my visitors, and my supporters!

All my awards are YOURS as much as they are mine and I am extremely grateful!

As you track, measure, and assess your business, find a recent achievement and acknowledge your fans or clients who helped make that happen.

Express your gratitude in every possible way, and repeat, as needed. There are many ways to say “thank you,” that don’t require words or that go really well with verbal gratitude if you know what I mean:

• personalized e-mail
• coupon or special discount code
• tweet or tagged post
• handwritten note or card (a handwritten card with personal photos or a logo delivered by USPS with a real stamp has an open rate of 98%!)
• free T-shirt, sticker, or piece of merchandise
• free shipping on an order
• free upgrade
• special meal
• public recognition
• time to provide feedback and/or concerns
• gifts
• e-card
• add your own!

Whatever you do, be authentic, personable, and specific in your gratitude. “Thank you for being a great client/supporter” just doesn’t cut it. What are you exactly thankful for? Spell it out!

Authentic Gratitude Can Boost Your Business

Saying “thank you” is polite, and respectful, and can have some unexpectedly powerful results, when it’s from the heart. Keeping a gratitude journal can help you cultivate a genuine attitude of gratitude, both at a conscious and subconscious level.

Many people think that keeping a gratitude journal is a woo-woo tactic for self-help junkies who have enough time to waste on wishful thinking. Research actually proves those people wrong: keeping a gratitude journal improves your productivity.

As a matter of fact, some of the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs in the world use gratitude journals each and every day, and some of the most celebrated universities in the U.S. (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, UC Berkeley) highly encourage this practice.

Your gratitude journal doesn’t need to be fancy; just buy a composition notebook, and start making daily entries, even if for five minutes. (Click here for DIY ideas to make it pretty).

There are three different types of gratitude statements you can make, whether related to your business or not:

1. Express gratitude for things that have occurred in the past.
2. Express gratitude for things that are occurring in the present.
3. Express gratitude for things that you hope will occur in the future.

Start each entry with: “I am happy and grateful now that…” and you’re done!

As you can see, it’s a very simple, science-backed hack that requires very little effort, and quite minimal investment, and it can shift your business results in many ways.

Want to make more money, grow your social media following, skyrocket your blog traffic, increase your conversions, and attract new leads, while being super productive, so you can have time for the people and activities you love? Express your gratitude! 

Remember Naaman in the Bible? We’re often really skeptical when things are simple. We don’t believe they will work. I have a strong testimony of gratitude and I encourage you to test it for yourself!

And now, it’s my time to reiterate my gratitude to YOU… Thank you for reading my words, for sharing my posts, for chiming in, and for your words of encouragement. They mean so much to me and they really keep me going! I love YOU!

How do you express gratitude to the people who support your business? Share it in the comments!

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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