What do Oprah Winfrey, Sir Richard Branson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and a host of rich, famous celebrities have in common?
If your answer was, “bucketloads of cash”, well - you’d be right. But there’s one critical thing they all do that drives their success. It has nothing to do with bank account size, who they know, or the work they’ve done to be at the top of their game. It’s a practice that is completely free, and it’s something we should all be doing, all the time.
They actively practice gratitude.
It may seem as though the mere act of being grateful is too intangible of a concept for it to truly be a factor in driving success. After all, there’s no real penalty to being ungrateful, apart from looking like a bit of a jerk in certain social situations. However, there’s a science behind the positive effects of gratitude, and the results speak volumes in the pursuit of success.
Let’s take a look at some of the pitfalls of an ungrateful mindset:
When you’re ungrateful, you’re not concentrating on the good aspects of your life, leaving you resentful and even angry. You’re scanning for what’s missing, making choices based on what is lacking rather than what you have to work with, which can really go against your path to true happiness.
Research conducted by the Harvard Business Review analyzed the effects of anger on decision-making, concluding that holding onto resentment and anger throughout the day will poison choices made and actions taken.
The practice of gratitude allows you to step back from anger, fear, hurt - all those emotions that can really cloud judgment. By concentrating on the elements you are thankful for (no matter how small), you are giving your mind the best to chance to thrive and be fuelled by positive, inspiring energy.
Multiple studies have been conducted into how gratitude affects social good and the moral compass.
Generally, those who actively practice gratitude have a stronger sense of social responsibility, morality and ‘doing the right thing’. Their brain is essentially optimized for empathy and sound value judgments - two factors that certainly aid in successful business, leadership and earning the trust of peers.
Those who concentrate on the good in their life are often compelled to ‘pay it forward’. They will deliberately seek ways to give back, help others and keep the positive vibes flowing.
Gratitude is contagious. When you’re looking to get ahead in life, whether in a career, as an entrepreneur, as a traveling one-man band - whatever it may be, gratitude breeds strong connections and a willingness for others to help where they can in promoting your success.
The thing with being more thankful is that it’s quite easy to get started - there’s no subscription to buy, pills to take or mountains to climb.
It can be as simple as starting your day by writing down five things you are grateful for in your life. They don’t have to be big things: it could be waking up to your dog’s wagging tail, the really great coffee you can get from your favorite cafe, or the smell of morning rain. The Five-Minute Journal is a great place to start your focus.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
— Oprah Winfrey
Our programs were designed by world-renowned coaches. Sessions only take 5-15 minutes. Get started for free with your personalized program now.
Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help
you develop gratitude & mindfulness quickly.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!
Your recommended programs include:
Our expert coaches have designed hyper-effective programs that will help you improve your mental health, wellbeing, productivity, leadership and more.
Coach Marlee (your amazing AI-powered personal coach) will analyse your unique traits and goals to let you know which program to start with (and if there are any you should skip)!
Your recommended programs include:
Take your teaming to the next level in this high impact 9-week team coaching program with Coach Marlee. Discover and optimize complementary strengths and unique talents with your team, reach decisions together quickly, enjoy team cohesion, high energy and motivation as a bonded team.
Impress yourself and others with your attention to detail! Develop a genuine appreciation, energy and stamina for detailed thinking to execute your vision, measure performance in yourself and others while also accelerating your ability to learn and change.
In this high impact eight week program Coach Marlee will help you increase your comfort and confidence to be in positions of influence and leadership, navigate organizational politics and also help you develop greater confidence to compete and influence at the top of your industry or field.
Multiply your impact by embracing the experience and genius within others. During this eight week program Coach Marlee will help you to develop a genuine appreciation for experimentation and data and a willingness to empower the opinions, feedback and insights within your team and others in your life.
Explore, strengthen and stand by what you believe in at work and in life. Trust in your ‘gut feel’ and point of view is especially helpful for influencing, starting your own business, having your personal needs met and for living an authentic and meaningful life.
Inspire yourself and others to see the bigger picture! Increase your comfort and use of abstract and strategic thinking to gain a broader perspective in work and life. Big picture thinking is key in communication, leadership, businesses, selling, marketing, and situations where you need to get the gist of things quickly.
Develop ‘step back’ mastery for increased self-awareness and developing mindsets and tools for constant improvement. Reflection and patience is core to consolidating learning, development, strategic thinking, recharging and living an authentic and meaningful life.
Close the gap between your great ideas and starting them. Energy and drive for starting is key for inventing new things, starting businesses, selling, marketing, socializing or in situations where you need to think on your feet.
Explore, develop or strengthen your emotional intelligence (EQ). Awareness of your and others’ emotions is at the heart of influencing, ‘reading people’, impactful communication, deep relating and authentic connection at work and in life.
Inspire yourself and others to see and achieve grand visions and goals. A focus on goals is especially helpful for inspirational leaders, starting your own business, impactful communication, or for achieving awesome outcomes at work and in life.
“I have always found it hard to ‘slow’ down but this helped me to see how I can slow down to speed up”
“I learned how to set, move to take action and progress towards happiness”
“Coaching with Marlee was simply amazing. 200% recommend!”
“Wow this program has totally changed my relationship to goals! Thanks so much Marlee, I miss you already”
"Great experience overall! The 'Attention to detail' coaching program really helped me a lot as it opened up a new way for me to see things. This is very useful in my approach to work."
“I found the importance of setting goals. It’s a mindset”
“The Trust Your Gut coaching program with Marlee was simply amazing. It really helped me to reflect on my decision making style in a new light and boosted my confidence. I 200% recommend!”
“I’ve always found it daunting to be a leader, I have never sought out to be the one in charge. The positions have always found me. I now have new confidence. I especially like the concept of leadership through context. Very empowering”.
Our tools are trusted by teams like Canva to help improve:
Subscribe to our newsletter for free access to the latest research and expert tips on Mental Health, Wellbeing, Leadership, Career Skills, Team Building & more!
Get started for free with personal (or team) coaching.
Programs are designed by world-renowned coaches & delivered by our incredible (AI-powered) Coach Marlee.
Sessions take just a few minutes and are 100% personalized to fit your unique traits and goals.
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name
Name Surname
Position, Company name