Ep 48: Gratitude – A Leadership Gap

In this episode, Bridgette and Irvine explore how a practice of gratitude can change your brain and the way the lead.   

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SHOW NOTES

Don’t forget to check out Irvine’s You Tube channel with new videos every Wednesday on emotional intelligence, resilience, and leadership.

Check out Irvine’s new book Leadership Lessons From The Pub.

Check out Bridgette’s book which she co-authored with Bod Duggan  Resilient Leadership 2.0.

And as always, don’t forget about all the mind-blowing free resources some of which are mentioned in each episode. 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

Irvine Nugent [00:00:03]:

 

Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to the Resilient Leadership podcast, where everything we talk about is aimed at helping you lead with a greater sense of calm and clarity and conviction even in Anxious Times. My name is Irvine, and today, as always, I am joined by my cohost and collaborator, Bridgette Theurer. Bridgette, How are you today?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:00:26]:

 

Irvin, I am doing great. I really am. It’s a beautiful time of year. I just had a chance to look outside my office windows and appreciate the fall colors because, of course, we are recording this In late fall.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:00:42]:

 

Yeah.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:00:43]:

 

And it’s a beautiful time of the year, and I am feeling appreciative Of fall, which I usually don’t because I hate what follows fall, which is winter. But that’s okay. I digress. Yeah.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:00:56]:

 

Absolutely.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:00:57]:

 

Feeling appreciative might have something to do with our topic today, but why don’t you tell listeners about that?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:01:05]:

 

Absolutely. So today, we are going to focus. It’s a week before Thanksgiving as you’re listening to this. And what a wonderful time of the year To think about gratitude, but let’s put it in a leadership context. Today’s episode is called Gratitude A Leadership Gap, And we just thought it would be wonderful to think about this. Now Thanksgiving for me is a very interesting holiday because I think many of you know I was not born in the US. I grew up in Ireland and came here, oh, just a little over 30 years. So I had no real experience of I knew about it, and it actually has become one of my favorite holidays of the year.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:01:41]:

 

And so, Bridget, I just I’m curious, kind of what’s one of your favorite memories of Thanksgiving?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:01:47]:

 

Oh, I love this question, Irvin. And what it provokes for me is a Thanksgiving that happened, many years ago. 25 years ago?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:01:59]:

 

Yep.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:02:00]:

 

And what made it so special is that I had decided To do something I’ve never done before, which is to suggest to my siblings, and I have 3 older brothers, that we write each of us a tribute To our parents. 1 to our mother and 1 to our father who died when they were very young. And I I was 15, I think, when my mom died and 21 when my dad died. And so, of course, they had never been at these Thanksgivings that we were having now, right, as siblings. I got this idea from a book I read, The Tribute. Anyways, they They decided to do it, and we all wrote tributes. And then at Thanksgiving and I said, I’ll publish it, and I’ll put pictures in a book, And I’ll hand out the book to everybody. And at the Thanksgiving table, everybody took a turn reading their tribute to our mom And to our dad.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:02:50]:

 

And it was really, really special.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:02:53]:

 

Wow. That’s amazing. Oh, that sounds awesome.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:02:56]:

 

Yeah. And thank you for triggering that memory because I hadn’t thought about it for a while. How about you, though? What does a a special Thanksgiving stand out?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:03:05]:

 

Well, you know, I think it would have to be my very first Thanksgiving in the US. I was in seminary and, came to Thanksgiving time. And, of course, many of them went many students went home. And there was a a core of us left there that really came from other Places either in the US or all over the world. And so we had a little Thanksgiving together, and it was so beautiful because even though we were not seeped In this Thanksgiving tradition, we took it like ducks in water, and I remember going around the table and really talking about What we’re grateful for and what was so beautiful was, you know, here we were so many different cultures, and yet this this beautiful common language of gratitude and thanksgiving bonded us together. And, and I think that’s probably one of my my favorite memories of thanksgiving.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:03:56]:

 

That is so lovely. And isn’t it so cool that it’s turned out to be one of your favorite holidays?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:04:01]:

 

Yeah. Because I don’t think we have the pressure of the gifts and the wrapping and this you know? I think I love I love the holiday time. I love Christmas, but it just there’s a lot of pressure. And I think that Thanksgiving Just allows us to ease into this notion of Thanksgiving.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:04:17]:

 

Just enjoy each other, right, without all the other stuff.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:04:20]:

 

Yeah. So as we start today then, Bridget, maybe it would be kind of good to kind of like, let’s define gratitude because, You know, is it just about saying thank you, or is there something a little bit more when we use the term gratitude?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:04:34]:

 

Yeah. It’s a good place to start Because it is a little bit more it has more depth to it than we might think. Right? So it’s an emotion similar to appreciation.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:04:43]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:04:44]:

 

And it’s both kind of a trait and a state. Like, you know, we’ve come across people who just seem to be Incredibly grateful people and sort of part of their makeup.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:04:55]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:04:55]:

 

But it’s also a mood. It’s also a state of mind that we can be in. It can be an emotion that’s sort of transitory and we feel really grateful in the short term for a particular person, or it can be a long term kind of thing, right, where we’re Cultivating it at a deeper level as part of our values, as part of our way of being. Yeah. There’s a psychologist, doctor Robert Emens, who is considered the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude. He’s a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, And he’s also the editor in chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. So he’s written a bunch of books about gratitude. He’s researched gratitude.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:05:38]:

 

There’s something interesting he says about it, which is that there’s really 2 stages. Right? And the first is the acknowledgment of goodness in one’s life. Mhmm. And in a state of gratitude, we say yes to life, which I think it’s a really beautiful thing. So we affirm that, you know, all in all, life is good, not perfect by any means. Yeah. Life is good and then it has elements that make it worth living. And then the second part of gratitude is recognizing the sources of this goodness And that they lie outside the self.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:06:16]:

 

So we can be grateful to our creator. We can be grateful To other people, we can be grateful to our pets. We can be grateful to the world at large, but that gratitude builds out of ourselves, right, and looks for someone or something to give that expression to.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:06:35]:

 

Yeah.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:06:36]:

 

And so, you know, I just think it’s a beautiful thing. And what is so interesting is The way it connects to leadership. But before we get to that, Irvin, you you are really good at helping to ground all of our topics in neuroscience. So Let’s uncover a little bit about the brain and gratitude.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:06:55]:

 

Well, we’re very lucky when it comes to gratitude because it is one of the topics that has been widely researched with neuroscience. Lot of research out there. And if you’re interested in this, just Google it. You’ll it’ll be you’ll get searches replete with this, and it’s Fascinating. I mean, instinctually, we know people who are full of it must be good because it feels

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:07:15]:

 

good,

 

Irvine Nugent [00:07:16]:

 

and now we have the evidence to to show that. So I think many people knew I know I grew up in a pub. Yeah. Let me talk about 2 cocktails here that we wanna drink that are important. 1 is a little shot of dopamine, and dopamine happens we whenever we express gratitude for what’s good in life, for showing gratitude to someone that’s helped us helped us at work. That is impacting our brain. And one of the things that’s happening in our brain, it’s releasing dopamine, and Dopamine makes us feel good. That’s why, you know I mean, as you’ve been talking, Bridgette, I’m smiling here because, you know, you can’t help but smile Whenever we talk about gratitude and so it triggers positive emotions.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:07:56]:

 

We feel optimistic. We feel that we can work Gather, there’s camaraderie, and all of this is activating prosocial behavior. So that’s dopamine. The next little swig of serotonin, And that’s when we write down positives in our life and at work. What’s happening is our brain is releasing serotonin, which is enhancing our mood, which is really important because it not only improves the mood, but it moves us away from depression or feeling down. So it’s kind of the brain’s natural antidepressant. And it it it impacts our willpower or motivation, and it’s been called the the happy Molekule. So all of these these 2 things are going on whenever we’re talking about gratitude.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:08:39]:

 

So what’s the impact of that? Well, it’ll blow your mind. The first thing is that gratitude releases toxic emotions. And we know we’ve talked about the limbic center, this home of emotions in the brain, And studies show that whenever we’re in a mode of gratitude, and in fact, when they’ve studied individuals who were Getting Mental Health Guidance. Whenever they wrote letters of gratitude, really interesting what happened is that the control group versus the group that were writing letters, the the group that wrote that it felt better and recovered sooner. Just by by writing, they were powerful. Yeah. And they also had better defenses against anxiety and depression. And then the other is it gratitude seems to have a a direct impact on our Pain or levels of felt pain.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:09:27]:

 

And research from Emmings, who you’ve already talked about, and McCulloch, They looked at people who, had again once again written down letters of gratitude and kept journals with gratitude. And what happened is that 16% of those reported reduced pain symptoms.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:09:46]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:09:47]:

 

Let’s think about that. So, Bridge, in one house, there I mean, this is a topic we could actually spend a whole podcast in, but is there any other little highlights that jumps out at you when it comes to research and how powerful gratitude is on the body and the brain.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:10:01]:

 

Well, sure. And one of them that really stood out to me is that Practicing gratitude and acts of kindness can improve sleep. And let me tell you, I’m all for that. Yeah. I’m not one who always gets a good night of sleep. And so I find the connection between gratitude and kindness and sleep fascinating. And so studies have shown That, you know, this very simple act of receiving and displaying kindness activates the hypothalamus. And your hypothalamus is important because it keeps your body balanced and a in in a stable state called homeostasis.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:10:38]:

 

This balanced state, Triggered by gratitude helps us get a deeper and a healthier night of sleep. So just think about that. You go to sleep and if your brain is Filled with gratitude and with kindness, you’re more likely to sleep better and you’re more likely to wake up feeling refreshed. So that’s interesting. Now it’s it also regulates stress and you, you know, you kinda hinted at this, but Luckily, there’s a study done by McCrady and colleagues where they found that participants who felt grateful showed a marked reduction in the level of Cortisol pumping through their bodies. And cortisol is the stress hormone.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:11:17]:

 

Yeah.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:11:18]:

 

So anything that brings down cortisol It’s good for us. It’s good for our heart, right, for our cardiac functioning. And they also found that people who Expressed gratitude. We’re more resilient to emotional setbacks and negative experiences. So I That’s remarkable. Right? And then lastly, the connection between gratitude and anxiety and depression. All of the things that we’ve been talking about up to this point, you know, the impact on the levels of cortisol and the automatic nervous system. Gratitude significantly reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety because of that.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:11:58]:

 

So at the neurochemical level, Feelings of gratitude are associated with an increase in the functioning of the prefrontal cortex.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:12:06]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:12:07]:

 

Isn’t that interesting? Yep. And that’s the part of the brain responsible for managing negative emotions, deeply negative emotions like guilt, shame, and violence even. Okay. So now we’re talking and talking about this. If this were a pill, it would be flying off the top.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:12:24]:

 

Ain’t that the truth? Ain’t that the truth?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:12:26]:

 

Really? I mean, if we if we could come up with this pill, you and I would be rich. Absolutely. Yeah. And so there’s there’s a profound science to back up that practicing gratitude has Remarkable health benefits. Let’s think about it now in the context of work and leadership. Mhmm. I mean, by all means, Let’s all practice this more often so we can reduce our stress levels and improve our cardiac functioning. Absolutely.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:12:56]:

 

You know, Irvin, what do you think about tying gratitude to the world of work? Because, you know, it it might seem kinda squishy and Soft, and does it really have a place there? What do you think?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:13:07]:

 

It’s such a great question, you know, because I think I think when we think of gratitude, we do think, yeah, it’s it’s okay. But But, again, a lot of research has been done in this area, which and I think the findings will just blow your mind. And that is that, you know, survey after survey, I think on average, about 15% of people say they were thanked at work. Just think about that. 15%. And I think part of it is we think it’s such a small thing and yet it has such a profound effect. Same survey, 35% said that managers had never thanked them or in some way express gratitude. And so, You know, in some of the writing there, when you look at it, it’s like leadership and work has a gratitude gap.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:13:53]:

 

I love that. We have a gratitude gap at work. I don’t know what it is. I or, like, how do you get to the bottom of this? Maybe it’s because people admit you know, don’t wanna admit that they need help Our people feel that they’re they’re soft when they thank people or or people will take advantage of them or etcetera. I’m not sure what it is, but But, you know, there’s a Glassdoor survey which said that 80% of employees said that they’d be willing to work harder if they had an appreciative boss. Think about that. Now just think, how many times, Bridget, have we had conversations about motivating the workplace, getting more out of the employees? Wow.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:14:29]:

 

Most times.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:14:30]:

 

And here is a a survey say 80% would work harder if they had an appreciative boss.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:14:37]:

 

Wow. I’m talking 1 in my backpack. Let me tell you.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:14:41]:

 

I know. And then there was some interesting work done in call centers. What they found there was that, you know, call center Efficacy was boosted 50% after the director had thanked them for their work. And then another one, you know, how much money to American or worldwide businesses spend on sick days, on employers who are sick. Research has replete as well by finding where there is gratitude practice in the workplace, the level and incident of sick days is reduced. So, You know, here we have this evidence that not only is gratitude not a soft skill or something before it, but in fact, if you wanna improve the business Bottom line, woah. Gratitude can be a way to get there. Any thoughts from you, Brigid, on gratitude in the workplace?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:15:27]:

 

As I just said, that Glassdoor survey really just it will stand out and stay with me for a a good long while Because so often, managers are like, how can I get more out of people? Well, that’s not the answer they would typically come to. But there was another interesting study that I read about in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management about well-being with nurses and health staff, and we all know that that’s a population that got hit so hard Yeah. During the last 3 years with with the pandemic, and it highlighted the positive impact of gratitude. And it really made a connection between gratitude as being a consistent predictor of several outcomes In the workplace. Right? Among the nurses and the health care staff. So less exhaustion and cynicism was one of them. Interesting. More proactive behaviors.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:16:21]:

 

How many times, Irvin, do you hear managers and leaders that you coach being Frustrated that people don’t take initiative more often. And here there’s some connection with that. Higher rate of health and safety climate, higher job satisfaction, And for your absences due to illness, all in the context of where gratitude is being practiced in these particular workplaces, That’s what you see. It makes a lot of sense, and yet, as you said, there remains a gratitude gap in the workplace. Yeah. And so, you know, we gotta we we can fix that. We can close that gap. So Irvin, how do you see this this showing up In some of the clients that you work with, either the gap or maybe they’re really good at it, and you see the results there.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:17:09]:

 

Yeah. So it’s really interesting. You know? I was involved in school work project about 5 months ago, which was interviewing people from an organization. They were interested in really finding out where people at, you know, kind of what’s driving them, what’s not. I remember we’re asking some questions, and one of the gaps Where it really happened was I remember this interview. There was some back support staff there, some secretarial support staff and some admin support staff. And And what was really interesting what they said, you know you know, the frontline people, they always get thanked, but we never do. Mhmm.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:17:44]:

 

We’re kind of invisible. And I was it’s so you know, it was such a you know, you could feel the emotion there and and the sadness almost. We we feel kind of invisible. And I think, you know, how many workplaces is that the case where people do feel invisible? So that’s something to think about, which we’ll talk about a little bit later. And then the second one is, actually, I had a client who was talking about influences in their life and mentors Mhmm. Because it was a beginning coaching engagement. And I said, you know, tell Tell me a little bit about your career trajectory. How did you get where you are? And for them, you know, it was the influence of their 1st boss.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:18:23]:

 

And and I said, you know, what was remarkable? And he said she said, you know, there was a lot of things, but she said the one thing that made him different was his ability to thank and be so specific in what he was thanking me for. And he built me up. He encouraged me. He wasn’t afraid to, you know, point out things that were going wrong, you know, that detail and that that time to point things out. And she said, you know, really, that was such an a delicate part of my in my life. It was a a delicate part of my career, and because of that, I’m I’m here today.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:18:59]:

 

That is beautiful. You’re reminding me of somebody that I coached. Well, actually, 2 people. Both of them were actually really good at this in very different ways.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:19:11]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:19:11]:

 

And one of them was a CEO who was so good, had a discipline of handwriting thank you notes for his employees. And one day, I got one from him. Now I’m his coach, you know, and I had done a retreat. And a couple of weeks later, I get this beautiful handwritten note from him. I was shocked. You know? And it was but I noticed the effect it had on me. And then I discovered that that’s a practice that he does with everybody that is in his organization. He runs a large organization.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:19:41]:

 

And then another client who runs a very, very big organization, and when I did a three sixty for him, what I discovered Is that the people who love him the best are the people in the lowest positions. The wait Staff, the janitorial staff, the the people who nobody cares about, but this guy does. And he makes a point to thank them And to appreciate them, and it just makes all the difference. Right?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:20:10]:

 

Absolutely. Yeah.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:20:11]:

 

Cool. So, you know, these are clients we’ve worked with. But what are some thoughts we can give our listeners, Irvin, about like, if people are listening and going, yeah, I wanna bring more gratitude into my workplace. You know, what are some thoughts?

 

Irvine Nugent [00:20:25]:

 

Well, let’s just throw out a few ideas. Maybe this’ll spur some thought within you and certainly, you know, you can come to your own solution. One is written notes, written thank you cards. I often think when you get something that handwritten that’s thoughtfully given, that’s something we cherish now. We’re too busy getting emails that if you get an email, you kinda oh my god. You know, you’re running through them. But when you get a car we don’t get that much mail anymore, like personal No mail. It’s all ads and brochures.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:20:53]:

 

When we get something that stands out. I remember reading about a CEO from Campbell Soup who When in there when when things were pretty dire, the culture was bad. His name was, Doug Conant. And he, when he retired, was credited with writing 30,000 handwritten notes over his career.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:21:11]:

 

I don’t know who was counting those. I know. I mean, I was like,

 

Irvine Nugent [00:21:14]:

 

oh, 30,000 is a bit daunting. But you know what? Just say, can I write 1 note a day? And if that even sounds overwhelming, can I write 2 a week?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:21:22]:

 

Yeah.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:21:22]:

 

And just think over the year, that’s over a 100 notes. And I I just think that’s, you know, really interesting. I also read that, Starbucks and I love this. Starbucks apparently offers unlimited thank you cards for employees to use. Now what a wonderful statement for a company to say, here’s some notes you can use. You know, we’ll make it easy for you to do this. And when you’re writing that thank you, I think research and just our own personal experience tells us The more specific, the better. You know? If you’re just getting this general note, say, hey.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:21:53]:

 

Thank you for being you. Well, okay.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:21:55]:

 

But, you

 

Irvine Nugent [00:21:56]:

 

know, just really thanks Thank you for the way that you’ve put in some extra time over these few weeks. And I know things are tough at home, but you’ve You’ve taken the extra time just to support the team, and and I know that I’ve seen you there working with Jim who was struggling. These these are things, you know, that I’m seeing. You know? This is all about I’m seeing and noticed. So try and, get specific. I think, also, if you have internal company, inframail, and education. Put up some blog posts or articles around gratitude. You know?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:22:29]:

 

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:22:30]:

 

You know, if you say thank you or write a journal, here’s something for your health. Get people educated because I think people don’t realize that, don’t realize how impactful gratitude can be. And then the other thing is, you know, so often companies struggle articulating their values and getting their values out there. Yeah. It’s really nice when you see an employee or a coworker who’s doing something that’s really embodying a value of a company just to call that out. You know? I you know, the way you do that, it really embodies our company’s value for compassion.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:23:03]:

 

Mhmm. So

 

Irvine Nugent [00:23:04]:

 

I think tying that in can be really helpful. Yeah. Anything else come to mind for you?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:23:08]:

 

Well, let’s see. I mean, I talked about the client who wrote notes, and you just mentioned that remarkable example of The is it the Campbell Soup CEO? Campbell Soup. Yeah. I think that’s amazing. What are some other things? Well, I I think that, you know, if we are leading a team, It’s always useful to start by adopting some personal practices if we want other people to do something more to work on embodying it ourselves. So are there some personal practices that we could take on

 

Irvine Nugent [00:23:40]:

 

Yeah.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:23:41]:

 

Such that gratitude becomes something that we We very naturally it’s a state for us. Right? So whether that is a gratitude journal, which is very, very popular, and lots Lots of people do them, and they’re all over the place. And I I did a gratitude journal for 1 year, and I recently came across it, Irvin. Oh. And it was so fun to read over there. It was one of the pandemic years. And it it really touched me what I chose to focus on and be grateful for. So that that might be a personal practice, but not everybody’s a journal writer, and you don’t have to do that.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:24:15]:

 

I mean, you could just, like, once a week When you let’s say every Monday morning when you’re planning your week, write down 3 things you’re grateful for, put it on a sticky, you know, paper, Slap it on your laptop and then refresh it the next week. You know, simple things like that. Even I’ve got a a mother I’m Coaching who’s just started a gratitude practice with her children where when they when she tucks them in bed at night, she just says, what’s one thing you’re grateful for? And that just says that’s transformed their bedtime routine. So I would suggest to leaders, start with self. Is there a personal practice you would like to bring back Or start trying. And then just to underscore again, don’t forget about the support roles, the people who typically don’t get noticed in your organization unless something’s gone wrong. And make a point to express Appreciation to those support roles who often get left out. I think that’s a beautiful way to bring it into the into the workplace.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:25:14]:

 

Well, Irvin, we we always like to end with a a core practice of sorts. What do you have in mind for

 

Irvine Nugent [00:25:20]:

 

today? I wanna bring to kind of people’s attention, the gift of poetry. You know, so often we have poems are interesting pieces of literature because The way they express things, sometimes their precision, how concise they are, can bring us on a journey and Set Us in a Mood. I always think it’s always good to have a little collection of your favorite poems that speak to you because the wonderful thing about poetry is you can read it today And in 4 days’ time and in 2 weeks’ time, and it’ll speak something a little different. So I wanted to share with you a poem. One of my favorite poets, John O’Donohue, an Irish poet who has passed now but speaks to me, and he writes this beautiful poem about a morning offering. You know, morning time is a wonderful morning and evening are wonderful times for gratitude. You know, getting up and just saying thank you for another day and just Appreciating that these hours ahead are opportunities, gifts. How am I gonna live this? And the evening, just to reflect back and think, you know, no matter how bad a day has been, Always something always something we can give thanks for.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:26:26]:

 

So I just thought I’d share this poem with you. And as you listen to it, if there’s a line or a word that strikes you, just, you know, Chew on it a little bit, and that’s the gift of poetry for us and can really bring us into a mood and uplift us. So the poem goes like this. I bless the night that nourished my heart to set the ghosts of longing free into the flow and figure of dream that went to harvest from the dark, bread for the hunger no one sees. All that is eternal in me welcomes the wonder of this day, the field of brightness it creates, offering time for each thing to arise and Illuminate. I place on the altar of dawn the quiet loyalty of breath, the tent of thought where I shelter, waves of desire, I am sure to, and all beauty drawn to the eye. May my mind come alive today to the Invisible Geography that invites me to new frontiers to break the dead shell of yesterdays, to risk being disturbed and changed. May I have the courage today to live the life I would love, to postpone my dream no longer, but do at last what I came here for and waste my heart on fear no more.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:27:53]:

 

A lovely, lovely poem. Mhmm.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:27:56]:

 

You know, what are your favorites? Mhmm. When I read that, some lines, you know, welcome the wonder of this Day my mind come alive. And it just you know, it puts me in a spirit of opportunity of invitation. You know, all of us have different pieces, quotes, literature. So just keep them. Let it have some inspirational literature around you. And instead of beginning the day turning on the news, which is a little predictable and and and depressing at times, Can we lift our hearts and turn ourselves to gratitude before we do that?

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:28:32]:

 

Thank you, Irvin. I so appreciate that Admonition to start our day on a more grateful note and a more inspiring note. Yeah. So this has just been a lovely conversation. So enjoyed it. I hope our listeners have too. You know, we started by hearkening back to those days when you grew up in a pub and you said, you know, Gratitude is like taking a swig of serotonin and a shot of dopamine. It is a potent, potent A mood, a state, a trait that not only enriches our well-being and lowers our stress And improves our outlook and our resilience, but it has remarkable benefits for the workplace.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:29:18]:

 

And so if you are leading a team or you’re leading a company, remember that employees will work harder for you if they feel deeply appreciated. Mhmm. And remember that they will probably have less sick days, and they’ll be more proactive and take more initiative.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:29:34]:

 

Mhmm.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:29:35]:

 

And really buy all in Because that gratitude is such a powerful elixir, so to speak. Listeners, I hope you have found this as Just as enlightening as I have this conversation. Irvin, thank you as always.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:29:51]:

 

Thank you, Bridget.

 

Bridgette Theurer [00:29:52]:

 

It’s been a pleasure.

 

Irvine Nugent [00:29:54]:

 

And wishing everyone, at least those in the US, a wonderful Thanksgiving. And those who are abroad and listening to this, may your Heart be full of thanks and gratitude for all the blessings in your life. Until the next episode, see you everyone. Take care.