How To Get  Better Career Prospects & Higher Income Without Working Harder

“None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.”  Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

Do you find yourself caught in a dilemma?

You want to help, but you also want to get on. You want to give, but you also want to get ahead.

Heck, you want all that this amazing life has to offer.

Me too.

But sometimes I get caught up in those inner circular arguments that go nowhere except back round chasing each other’s’ tails. I want to be successful but I also want to like myself when I land at Success Central.

Because going all out for what you want can feel a little selfish. There’s that little voice whispering that you could do more for others if you didn’t go all out on your own goals.

None of us want to be selfish, we all want to be generous, compassionate and giving.

So how can we have it all and be decent, kind and contributing too?

The answer is…Gratitude.

Gratitude is your secret weapon to getting ahead.

How? let me explain…

1. The Likability Factor

Appreciating what you have means you recognize all the blessings, luck and good fortune in your life.

It means you’re happy with what you have. However, it can also mean that you value the opportunities available to you. The opportunity to progress, to learn, to advance. And your career and earnings are a good case in point.

Research has shown that practicing Gratitude at work makes co-workers respond better.

And that in turn makes you a better manager and networker. Being thankful also increases your decision making capabilities and productivity because you’re starting from a positive standpoint.

The same research also shows grateful people are more likely to find mentors and benefactors at work.

All of this adds up to being of enormous benefit to your career prospects and earning potential.

2. Better Health and Wellbeing

Bouncing through life full of energy and enthusiasm sounds great, doesn’t it? You’re probably pretty health savvy.

You know exercise and eating well are important parts of caring for yourself. Looking after your physical needs is critical.

But what about the rest of you?

What about your mental health? And you social and emotional health too?

There’s quite a lot tied up in looking after our complete well-being.And few things have greater impact on one’s long (and short) term career prospects than overall health and wellbeing.

Don’t worry though, Gratitude has got your back on that.

You see research shows that people who write in a Gratitude Journal for as little as 5 minutes a day regularly feel 10% less physical pain. They also suffer from 10% less stress related illnesses and 16% fewer physical ailments.

So less sick days and more productive days.

And with the positive state of mind that practicing Gratitude cultivates you’re automatically keeping your mental health in good shape. All that positivity rubs off beyond you as well, making your relationships stronger, and deeper too with good emotional health.

And good, stable relationships are essential to a good, stable career.

3.  More ‘Social Capital’

Good friends are a port in a storm, an ear in a crisis and the one place you feel comfortable just being you.

Ah, friends are the best.But most of us only ever have three to five ‘close friends’ which is plenty to let you know you’re adorable!

What about your work colleagues though? If you added up all the hours you spend with these people over the years, it would be a significant portion of your life. Isn’t it worth making sure time spent with those acquaintances is pleasant, amicable, even enjoyable?

After all, your career (and income) are directly related to how well you can get on with your work colleagues.

You don’t need to go out to be everyone’s new best friend to have a fantastic day – that would be exhausting… and fruitless.

But if you can enjoy your work colleagues company, that’s going to make your day skip along very nicely. Easy conversations, smiles exchanged, a little shared advice maybe or just a good laugh.

That’s sunshine poured into your routine right there, right?

And, there’s an easy way to have a profoundly positive effect on those types of relationships. Research again shows that people who practice Gratitude have more friendships and an overall 17.5% increase in ‘likability’. Excellent!

Being thankful also increases energy and happiness which in turn increase the desire to be friendly.

More ‘social capital’ equals more ‘career and income’ capital.

Gratitude – the smart way to get ahead

Work smarter, not forever harder.

Put gratitude to work for you.

And go to work, grateful.

It will transform your career and income.

Laura’s new book…The Life-Changing Power of Gratitude is out now on Amazon. It’s available between the 10th and 15th December for FREE  

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Laura Tong

Laura Tong is a former health professional, a regular contributor on The Huff Post and Assistant Editor at Goodlife ZEN. Download her free cheat sheet: 5 Ways To Say No Without Offending Anyone (Even If You Hate Conflict) 

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