An Unlikely Source of Gratitude †and How it Changes Lives

An Unlikely Source of Gratitude – and How it Changes Lives I don’t pay much attention to my Facebook news feed, but this morning I woke up to something that caught my attention. My friend Jacob in Minneapolis had posted a message of gratitude. Gratitude that he was alive, and that he has such a supportive community of friends and family. This sort of message might not be an attention grabber if it weren’t for its context: Jacob, an avid cyclist, had been hit by a minivan on his way to work the day before his message. The story was newsworthy: the driver of the minivan had just tried to hang a toddler in her home and had hit and dragged another pedestrian for blocks as well. Jacob chose to focus on gratitude. Thankfully, Jacob escaped with his life and two breaks in his leg that required surgery. For someone whose life is focused around cycling, dancing, and skiing, an injury like this could be devastating. But, despite the fact that my friend’s bike was crushed, his spirits most definitely were not. Last year, another friend who makes his living through physical performance had a major injury that sidelined him for months. He expressed similar gratitude and has made a full, bright recovery. And there’s always the remarkable James Hinchcliffe, the only person ever to survive the type of severe internal injuries he incurred in a 2015 race car driving accident. After a remarkable recovery, he is one of the favorites on the current season of Dancing with the Stars and reports about the crash, Every day I wake up with an attitude and an outlook on life that I wouldnt have had without it. So Im reminded every day of all the good that came out of it. A famous 1978 study of recent paraplegics found that they are equally as happy if not happier than recent lottery winners – largely because they are able to gain pleasure from everyday activities that might not give pleasure to someone who has just acquired an outside item. The pleasure of a win can fade, but the pleasure of appreciating life does not. Jacob’s story, and other stories of survivors, are great examples of how gratitude can make a difference and inspire others. Perhaps because of his spirit, a GoFundMe campaign easily surpassed its $5,000 goal in just one day, climbing quickly (through almost 200 donations of $100 or less) toward the $7,000 mark. People like gratitude. Gratitude inspires gratitude! Yesterday a friend said to me, â€Å"Life it great! It is different every day!† I agree, and this week especially I am remembering to appreciate all the gifts it offers – especially those that might not look like gifts on the surface. I wish the same for you as you head into Thanksgiving week. Can you find gratitude for something you might not have felt grateful for? That’s a practice that will lead to a joyous life. Save Save Save

Writing an Executive Summary that Emotes Confidence

Writing an Executive Summary that Emotes Confidence This article illustrates a simple rhetorical strategy, to apply at the sentence level, to increase your readers’ perception of your executive ability. This is a very useful strategy for all executive writing, but it is particularly important when writing an executive summary. Executive writing should embody both confidence and competence. If you write with a confident tone, it quietly affirms your leadership abilities to your readers. And, if you are smart and ambitious and aspire to executive level, you also want to present a confident voice in your writing tone because it will help you advance. During a recent training, a new executive shared with me that she had received feedback that she needs to â€Å"own† her decisions more strongly in all her communication, but especially in her executive summaries. The leadership team in her company felt her writing came across as tentative. When I reviewed her writing, I saw a common rhetorical error. Avoid Unnecessary Introductory Words This often stems from the very common â€Å"I am writing to tell you† approach. It is superfluous (and feels a bit like a grammar school essay) to remind your reader you are writing. I am writing to tell you that your order was shipped on Friday, January 26. You should receive it by Tuesday. Better: I am writing to tell you that Your order was shipped on Friday, January 26. You should receive it by Tuesday. Executives often fall into this same rhetorical trap by including weak introductory recommendation words: I believe closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Better: I believe Closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Avoid Using Qualifying, Opinion-Based Introductory Words Words like believe, think, or feelinfer a less confident voice. Instead of calmly owning your decision, this construct sounds less sure. A reader will likely think your statement is based on opinion more than clear business analysis and decision. Best: There is one verb, however, that works powerfully to convey confidence. Do use it when you want to make a strong, decisive executive impression. It connotes real ownership of your decision: I recommend closing our satellite office is the best decision. Enrollments declined 17% in 2012 and 9% in 2011. This accelerating decline reflects the program duplication with our satellite and main office programs. Notice that the verb recommend is so decisive it eliminates the need for the supporting statement â€Å"is the best decision.† I recommend clearly connotes your confidence and assessment of a business situation. It sounds confidently authoritative, but not at all brusque. Eliminate any tentative introductory clauses in your sentence structure when making executive assessments, and always eliminate them when writing an executive summary. This simple, yet very effective, rhetorical strategy will help you conveymore confidence and executive tone in your writing. Learn More in this Course: Writing anExecutive Summary.