As business owners, we tend to be so focused on growing, expanding, and generating more money that we forget to pause and be genuinely grateful for it.

We continuously want more money, success, and growth and even though it’s great to be ambitious, we have to be careful that it doesn’t become greed.

Because greediness is often the reason why entrepreneurs and businesses make bad business decisions and fail along the way.

I mean, it goes without saying that an entrepreneurship journey will never be a smooth ride. There are going to be lots of ups and downs packed with challenges and obstacles, but it doesn’t hurt to pause every once in a while and be genuinely grateful for the success you have already achieved in your biz.

Moreover, several studies have found that the practice of gratitude supports greater health, happiness, generosity, and so much more.

As easy as expressing gratitude sounds, it takes sometimes a bit of practice to rewire your mind and look at situations with a perspective of gratitude, especially when things get hard.

So, today I’d like to talk about why it’s important for entrepreneurs to practice gratitude and how you can start expressing it on a regular basis.

Related Reads:

• Overcoming Perfectionism: 7 Steps to Silence Your Inner Perfectionist
• How to Start Freelance Jobs From Home in 2022: The Complete Guide
• 10 Limiting Beliefs As A Solopreneur You Need To Stop
• 8 Proven Ways to Break Up with Your Bad Habits in Business
• How To Practice More Self Love & Self Compassion As A Solopreneur

Being Grateful As A Business Owner

What Does Being Grateful Mean?

Being grateful is that warm feeling of thankfulness towards the world, your life, and the people in it.

It is about bringing your focus and attention towards everything you appreciate. Now that doesn’t mean leaving difficulties in life and businesses at bay, but rather approaching them from a different perspective.

Once we enter a state of gratitude, we acknowledge the goodness in life. We realize that despite all the obstacles we face, how far we’re still from our goals, or the financial struggles we experience, that our life is good and worth living.

For example, let’s say you sign an amazing client and are excited to work with them. Everything is going according to plan, and you’re a maverick at your job. You deliver the work, but for some reason, things didn’t work out, and you part ways.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s your fault or the clients’, you might feel a bit frustrated, disappointed, and maybe even a little angry with yourself.

So, instead of feeling all bad, you could look at this from a gratitude perspective.

You could be grateful for the lessons you learned while working with this client, and you never know when this experience might come in handy for your next client.

It completely changes the perspective, and it helps to shift your feelings to more positive ones.

Why Is Gratitude Important?

We’ve understood what it means to be grateful. But you might be thinking; what’s even the point?

We’re living in a hyper-stimulated world where we always want the next best thing or the next best business tactic.

As a result, nothing is ever enough… There’s always another to-do to accomplish, another project to start, or another business tool to purchase.

Here Are 6 Reasons Why Gratitude Is Super-Duper Important:

• Gratitude is a positive energy that allows you to attract more abundance into your life and business
• It’s proven that expressing gratitude can increase your happiness and self-esteem.
• Gratitude helps reduce stress and cultivate a calmer mental headspace, which allows you to think more clearly and take better decisions.
• Taking success and accomplishments for granted while focusing only on the next milestone is exhausting and a bit toxic.
• Gratitude is also a way to return to the present moment and be mindful so that it can work therapeutically.
• If you have people who work for you, not being appreciative and grateful for their hard work can demotivate them to go that extra mile for you.

Tips On How To Be More Grateful In Your Business

Realize That Success Isn’t Obvious.

Remind yourself how far you’ve come and how you got to where you are right now. To others, it may look like an overnight success on the outside, but you know it was years in the making. You have worked hard for it, so give yourself the permission to be proud of yourself, appreciate it, celebrate it, and be grateful.

Give Yourself Breaks During The Day

Whether taking a short walk, making a coffee, or just not doing anything, taking moments of pause during the day allows you to come back to yourself and feel grateful for the little things. For instance, when was the last time you just sat down on a bench and appreciated nature?

Gratitude Journaling

Since many of us aren’t used to being grateful, it doesn’t come naturally to us. That’s why having a gratitude journal is a great tool to practice and make it a habit. With a habit journal, you sit down every day and write down five things you are thankful for that day.

A key to making it work is to write down whatever comes to your mind first. Let the thoughts flow naturally. Don’t think too long and be subjective about it.

Remind Yourself Of The Things To Be Grateful For

Make a list of things you’re grateful for, and stick it on your fridge or the toilet door, so you’re reminded all the time of all these amazing things you shouldn’t take for granted.

Have awareness of the things around you. It could be as simple as your being grateful for your morning coffee, a great night of sleep, or cuddles with your pet.

Thank You!

Two simple words that mean the world to anyone who receives it. You can say it to a friend, family, or your employees. You can also say it to a bartender who brings the food to your table. Saying thank you is surely going to put a smile on faces and make you feel great knowing that you just made someone’s day better.

In the business world, you can thank your clients, partners, and customers for the opportunity to work together. A simple thank you email, discounts, or going beyond by sending a personalized gift for them is great for your headspace and for your business to grow exponentially.

Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Social media has given us access to peek into people’s daily lives, and we are consumed in constant fascination. We want to become like them so bad that we forget how good our life already is. As you start focusing on being grateful, try imagining your life without the things you DO have.

Say maybe you haven’t reached your target income yet, but imagine your life without your current earnings. Or you haven’t landed that dream client you always wanted, then would you even have a business if it wasn’t for all the previous and current clients?

This is a great practice to keep reminding ourselves to be grateful for the progress made so far.

What Are Things To Be Grateful For In Your Business

If you’re struggling with finding things to be grateful for in your business, I’ve got you covered.

Here are some examples you can be grateful for as a (digital) business owner (these might not all apply to you, depending on your business model)

• You get to be your boss and set your own rules.
• You can choose your own clients.
• You can cancel your work day when you don’t feel like working.
• You can choose your working hours.
• You can choose your working location (an office, co-working space, home, coffee bar, beach, you name it!)
• You can pivot your biz, when you feel you have outgrown your current business model.
• You can outsource tasks to others that don’t give you energy.
• Having someone working for you that does an amazing job and whom you can count on.
• Having the opportunity to provide value and impact lives by giving back to customers, providing job opportunities, championing others to be better, etc.
• Not just your business, but your friends, family, and those who have been cheerleaders every step of the way.
• Being grateful for being you and believing in yourself till the end.
• We live in a time where quite frankly, anyone can achieve their goals if they put their mind to it, with thousands of calendar apps, project management software, and productivity tools that are available (often even for free!) and the HUGE amount of knowledge that’s accessible to us. Ask entrepreneurs who found success before the 2000s, and I can assure you that back then, without the internet and smartphones, it was WAY more difficult to figure things out.

I encourage all you entrepreneurs to take some time from your busy life to practice gratitude.

Being an entrepreneur is not a luxury that many people can afford. So, let’s be thankful!

Related Reads:

• Overcoming Perfectionism: 7 Steps to Silence Your Inner Perfectionist
• How to Start Freelance Jobs From Home in 2022: The Complete Guide
• 10 Limiting Beliefs As A Solopreneur You Need To Stop
• 8 Proven Ways to Break Up with Your Bad Habits in Business
• How To Practice More Self Love & Self Compassion As A Solopreneur

Are you grateful for your entrepreneurship journey? What are things that you are grateful for?