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Perhaps you have some gratitude prayers from your own religious tradition. If not or you are more secular in philosophy, here are a couple to consider for a daily practice from the Robert Emmon book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

From Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion
Thank you, Lord for giving me the wherewithal not to fix a half-pound cheeseburger right now and to eat a stalk of celery instead. Thank you for the wonderful son and the amazing daughter and the smart sexy wife and grandkids…Thank you for the odd delight of being sixty, part of which is the sheer relief of not being fifty. I could go on and on…List your blessings and you will walk through those gates of thanksgiving and into the fields of joy.

Native American tradition
We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible;
we thank the Earth Mother for producing it,
and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us.
May the Wholesomeness of the food before us,
bring out the Wholeness of the Spirit within us.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist teacher
Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.
I join my hands in thanks
for the many wonders of life;
for having twenty-four brand-new hours before me.

When I was asked to do a full day training on business etiquette and professionalism, I knew I needed to find more meaningful motivation than the hundreds of guidelines and “rules.” My inspiration came in the middle of the night from Aretha Franklin: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That is what etiquette means to me! As part of my training I highlight 5 Levels of Respect:

Self – Taking time to learn business etiquette and demonstrate professionalism shows respect for you. Shooting from the hip is not allowing you the best opportunity to shine. Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know.

Customer or Client – This is the level of respect most people think of and try to honor since it is the core of business. If one isn’t respectful to customers or clients, there are usually consequences. People like to do business with those they like and respect.

Coworkers – Treating coworkers with respect not only makes the culture more pleasant, but more productive. Yet with the tension of every day interactions, politics, and pressure, this may be the most challenging level to stay at a high level of respect.

Company/Agency – What an employee says and does reflects on the company and its reputation. This is a responsibility for employees to recognize and for employers to address.

Profession – To the outside public, even in a non-work setting, what you do has an impact on how others view your profession. You may be the only person someone will meet in your line of work and generalizations may be made. You may not care to think of this impact, but it may occur just the same.

Here is another thing RESPECT means to me:

R emember

E tiquette

S o

P eople

E njoy

C aring

T eamwork

Call: 412-977-4029 • Email: [email protected]

Gratitude Meditations and Humor

Five Levels of RESPECT

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