Category Archive: Gratitude

How a Successful Leader had the Best Year of Her Life

Janice Kaplan cried on New Year’s Eve. She snuggled with her husband and watched a movie before the crystal ball dropped in New York City. She didn’t want her year to end. I… Continue reading

You Find What You Look For

Pessimists think optimists are monkeys catching elephants in a trapeze act without a net. Dark leadership: You never get ahead by burying your head in the sand. You earn leadership opportunities by confronting tough… Continue reading

How to Stop Obsessing Over Negatives and Become a Positive Leader

Like a drop of poison in a glass of water, one problem has the power to pollute everything. It’s natural to obsess over one bad thing and forget many good things. Successful leaders… Continue reading

No One Claps When You Go to the Bathroom By Yourself

Parents go nuts when toddlers learn to use the potty. Twenty years later, no one claps when you go to the bathroom by yourself.  Gratitude looks for extraordinary and goes blind to the ordinary.… Continue reading

Ducks to Monkeys

It takes largeness of spirit to value ducks when you’re a monkey. Foolish monkeys complain about ducks. Wise monkeys maximize their potential. Persistent disapproval de-energizes ducks. Learn how to approve of ducks even while… Continue reading

How Leaders Change People By Simply Seeing Them

One summer, years ago, my wife and I stopped yelling at each other when we noticed the windows were up. People change when someone’s watching or listening. I read that people are more… Continue reading