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Hello, everyone. In a world where marketing involves a lot of funnels and ads and systems, embracing gratitude isn't always top of mind. So is gratitude more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling? In this podcast episode, we're going to look at gratitude and see if there's a connection between gratitude and prosperity.

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Welcome. I'm Marissa Shadrick, host of the Resilient Faith Online Show. I'm an online marketing coach and certified copywriter. And in this podcast, you'll find a different perspective on the external and internal challenges we face as online entrepreneurs. Join me for some inspiration and practical tips as we create positive change in the world. To continue the conversation, join me in my private resilient creator community. Go to MarissaShadrick.com forward slash community. Hello, hello, everyone.

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Marissa Shadrick here, and I'm going to start with a few quotes to get the show rolling here. These quotes are from Inc. magazine, and I have some also from Forbes. So I want you to see what their perspective is when it comes to gratitude in business. Here's a great quote: gratitude turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow. And that's Melody Betty. I love this quote because it seems to align everything correctly in the right perspective, no matter the situation. Here's another great quote. It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment. That's Naomi Williams. Isn't it true? You can't feel two things at the same time. So why not feel gratitude instead of depression? And here's the third quote: No one who achieves success does it without the help of others. The wise and the confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. That's from Alfred North Whitehead. So true. So we're beginning to see that part of the entrepreneurial journey is really having a mindset of gratitude. And as we continue, we're going to look how this ties together with actually growing your business. I have a few other quotes from Forbes, and this is from an article that they had, The Business Impact of Gratitude. And Forbes writes this While many of us tend to view and express gratitude in relation to our personal lives, gratitude in the workplace is especially critical because it satisfies the higher psychological need to feel a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves, to feel a sense of meaning at work. This is huge. So many people that I coach don't necessarily just want a business, a business. It's part of living a fulfilling life. They have a message, they have a mission, if you will, to share something that they feel is very, very important for the world. So it goes beyond monetary gain, although that's part of it, but it also brings a lot of fulfillment and meaning to their work. So let's break down what is gratitude. You hear definitions, and a lot of times during this time of year, Thanksgiving, people think of gratitude. But what is it? Gratitude is the recognition and appreciation of the positive aspects of life, including the contributions of others. It's acknowledging the good, often external to oneself, and deliberately focusing on positivity. So it's really focusing on the positive in all aspects of life. This is really, really important, not only for business, but also for our health and our mindset. So what's the opposite of gratitude? Well, when we look at the opposite, it is a mindset of dissatisfaction, focusing on what's missing or lacking. And that can lead to never being really satisfied, never feeling really fulfilled, never feeling a sense of closure, that something's accomplished. And that could leave people in a place where they're always longing, never really appreciating today, and always looking for that tomorrow. And it can lead to anxiety. So I found this other article in Inc. magazine, the five psychological problems that hit entrepreneurs hardest, according to a therapist. So there are outcomes of having a wrong mindset when you're not grateful, and it's the opposite when you feel like there's always a lack. One of it is anxiety. The second is depression. The third is insecurity and self-doubt. The fourth is no work-life balance. And the last one is loneliness. That's why it's really important, I feel, for people to be in community. That's why I feel that the group coaching programs that I offer are very valuable, not just for the information they get and the training and the coaching, but the collaboration, the support from one another. Oftentimes when you talk to people about being in a mastermind, they they mention the community. And then that gives them the mindset, the courage, the strength, the insight to be able to move forward because they know they're not doing it alone. And they realize within a mastermind group that not all launches or not all projects are successful. Sometimes they reach a plateau. Sometimes there needs to be tweaking and adjustment. And so they don't feel alone. They don't realize it's just me. And so being in community is very, very important to help reduce the anxiety, depression, insecurity, self-doubt, and really realizing that they need to work on certain parts of their business and not all of it all the time. There's a season for everything. So let's look at the connection between gratitude and prosperity. Is there a connection? Well, I've got seven here, so I'll try to go through them really quickly. The first one is obviously enhanced relationships. A person that has a mindset of gratitude are going to enhance the relationships. Gratitude cultivates stronger relationships with a team, with an audience, with partners. Showing appreciation builds trust and loyalty, which are essential for long-term business success. We need to cultivate relationships first and foremost because we are in the people business. We interact with people, and that requires building relationships. Granted, some relationships are closer than others, but we're still building relationships. We're trying to go beyond cold lists, we're trying to go beyond acquaintances, we're trying to build relationships. The second is positive work environment. Now, if you have a team, this would apply to you. A gratitude-driven culture boosts employee morals and motivation, leading to increased productivity and reduced turnover. That equals rising revenue. Now, you and I both know if the pay is really good, but the environment is terrible or the culture is terrible or it's very toxic, we don't want to work there anymore. It sort of deflates all our ambition to even stay there or attempt to grow or get a promotion. And that could be the same way if you serve clients. If clients are very toxic, you don't necessarily want to continue that business relationship with them. So gratitude allows us to have a very positive work environment. The third is improve customer service. This is a place where we can really show our brand in a way that customers can not only feel it, but see it in the way that you support them. When gratitude is an integral part of your values, it reflects on how you treat customers, leading to higher satisfaction and repeat business. And here's number four. Obviously, it reduces stress and it builds resilience. Gratitude helps manage stress and build that muscle of resilience, which is vital for navigating the ups and downs of business. Number five, increase creativity and innovation. There's nothing worse that will just completely eliminate any creativity if we're stressed, if we're worried, if we're depressed, if we're feeling anxious about something. But when we practice gratitude and we have a mindset of gratitude, all of a sudden our mind is free to think of other things, to be creative, to be innovative. Innovation is important. Appreciating what you have can lead to more positive outlook, fueling that creativity and innovation. Critical drivers in staying competitive. Number six, better decision making. Gratitude can reduce the tendency to make fear-based decisions. And that is huge. Sometimes, if we allow our negative, toxic emotions to take over, we're not going to make the best choices. But if we have a mindset of gratitude, we are going to make better choices. They're not going to be fear-based. They're going to be based from a heart, from a mind that's feeling healthy and in tune to what's going on. It allows for more thoughtful strategic choices. Number seven, attracting opportunities. People love working with people that are not high maintenance or very toxic. So when people meet other people that are there's alignment there in the way that they think and in gratitude, there's there's something there that can build. A positive reputation built on gratitude can attract new clients, partnerships, and opportunities otherwise unseen. So let's review the seven. And this is the connection between gratitude and prosperity. Number one was enhanced relationships, number two, positive work environment, number three, improve customer service. Number four, stress reduction and resilience. Number five, increase creativity and innovation. Number six, better decision making. And number seven, attract opportunities. So why is gratitude not only beneficial but also effective? What is it about gratitude? We saw the definition of it, but what is it? Well, this is where I put my copywriting hat on. And there's something called reciprocity, and that is the other side of the coin to gratitude, reciprocity. Reciprocity is a practice of responding with kindness, and this positive action creates another positive action, creating a cycle of goodwill and cooperation. It's the ripple effect. It is when we practice gratitude and we come with kindness and with empathy, it creates this reciprocity. We're not held down by all the negative things and looking at the glass half full and looking at what we don't have. We're able to walk in gratitude, walk in positivity. And as we begin to practice gratitude in the very things that we do in our business, day-to-day actions, it does create a cycle of goodwill and cooperation because you are working now out of kindness. You're not working from an empty container, but rather a full container. There's not only enough for you, but there's enough for others. It spills out. So when we cultivate gratitude, we begin to fill our cup and then it overflows where it fills other people as well. In business and marketing, reciprocity can be powerful, not as a tactic, not as a way to get them, so to speak, but as a result. When a company or an individual offers something of value, be it a free product or helpful information or exceptional service or even a kind gesture, recipients often feel a subconscious sense to return the favor. There's trust that's built. Reciprocity isn't transactional. It's part of building relationships and trust. It's an integral part. And so many think that gratitude is just this nice little idealistic fluffy thing. And yet it really is mindset. And mindset is so important. When people or businesses genuinely show care and appreciation for others, it fosters community and belonging, encouraging ongoing interaction and support. All of these things are so important. At the very least, with all the interactions that we have to do in business, wouldn't it be great to have that mindset of gratitude and always have our cup full? So there's always enough to give someone else. Even if it's in five minutes, or even if it's in a post, or even if it's in a conversation, a 30-minute call, whatever it might be, we always have enough and we never feel spent. And that's going to spill into our brand and our community and our clients and everyone. So imagine a world where Thanksgiving, or at least the idea of Thanksgiving and gratitude, is an everyday practice and not just a yearly event. This isn't an idealistic thought, but it could be a prosperous reality for leaders who adopt a gratitude mindset. Your business becomes brand recognized for positivity, integrity, and growth. That would be wonderful, right? For people to know you that way. And when we're thinking about gratitude, people think, well, that's not going to get me the sales that I want this month. We're playing the long game here, right? We're not doing a sprint. This is a marathon, and we're building something on a strong foundation. Not only is this helpful in your business, but it's helpful for you. It's helpful for you to be able to stay healthy, to stay emotionally healthy, mentally healthy, because there's a lot we have to do when it comes to building an online business. So I'm going to leave you with an action quote. And hopefully this one will resonate with you. It's from Michael Hyatt's Living Forward, a proven plan to stop drifting and get the life you want. And here's the quote making appointments with yourself and scheduling other things around them is key to proactive self-management. There's the beginning. Let me read it again. Making appointments with yourself and scheduling other things around them is key to proactive self-management. If we don't know where to start, we don't know where to begin, and we feel like we've totally been off course, one of the things that I recommend and I continue to do is journaling. Journaling is a great way to put your thoughts down and ask yourself some questions. Some of the questions that I answer in my journal are what did you do yesterday? What are the three things that you did yesterday that you felt had value? And some of the questions are, what are you planning on doing today? And I usually limit it to three. But I also ask myself, who are you grateful for recently? And I have to put a name down, and that helps me to be grateful. And then there's other questions that sort of trigger gratitude in those journal questions. So I have a template, and even though there's a template, the crazy thing is the answers are never the same. They're never the same. They're always different. So don't think a template is only going to produce the same answers for you. If you answer it honestly, nobody's going to see it, nobody's going to read it. It will help you to cultivate gratitude. It will help you to live with more peace. And it will help you to share more empathy, more consideration, more love to the people that you work with, touch the people that you interact with. And I think that makes a great impact. It is that ripple effect that leaves an impactful legacy. So at the very least, they can know us for that, for integrity. So I feel that during this time of year, it's really important to consider gratitude, not just during the holiday season, but how can I implement this throughout the year in the everyday? So I can live with a little bit more peace. And every night when I go to bed, I can feel gratitude for the day. So I hope this helped you. I wanted to do a segment for Thanksgiving. And obviously, I wanted to talk about gratitude and also the reciprocity, the psychological principle behind that that creates such a wonderful ripple effect. And I know one of the things that we do online to be able to bring people into our community is that we create lead magnets. So I am having a Black Friday that's Black Friday special. It's a lead magnet bundle that I've been offering here this last few days, and it will continue to Cyber Monday. And you can go there and check it out. It's at marissa shadry.com forward slash Black Friday. And you can see all the details to it, but it's at 70% off. It's creating your lead magnet, creating your opt-in, thank you page, email sequence, social media posts, and more. So you could take a look at that and see if that's something of interest to you. It is limited to a few people and it is for a limited time because it just depends on how many I can fit on my calendar. So if you're interested in that, go check it out. And I would love to prepare that for you so you can begin building those relationships with gratitude. So until next time, take care and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I look forward to a prosperous new year. Take care. Bye bye.