CEOs Open Their Kimonos to the Hidden Cocktail of Elite Success

• Gratitude – You are probably thinking what most executives do when I bring this forward: “One of these three does not belong.” In reality, this is the fuel that makes the other two possible. Let’s face it. Grit and grace are hard. Gratitude makes them easier–a self-fulfilling dynamic in an accelerating snowball of greatness. Stopping every day for as little as two minutes to write down just three things for which you are grateful is massively powerful. Why? We are a species that naturally focuses on negativity and catastrophe. Look at today’s movies and television. Or picture yourself getting the massage of your life while someone is poking you with a needle. Where would your focus be? The unfortunate truth is you are predisposed to ignore the great things you accomplish and place emphasis on the toil you exert every day to bring those very same outcomes about. The fortunate truth is that if you can get yourself to focus on the great things that grit and grace give you for even a brief time daily–especially in writing–you will be subconsciously fueled to exhibit these two amazing qualities again today, and the next day, and the next day. In essence, you become quit-proof.

Are you feeling like leadership and achievement are an uphill climb? Are you falling short of your goals, just waiting for happy hour? Well, there is a happy hour in your mind ready to open for business, and the special is the cocktail of grit, grace, and gratitude. You always have the renewable ingredients at hand and they’re absolutely free. Drink up and experience the exhilarating feeling of true success.
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Feel free to dive into answering some key questions at the bottom of this page.
1. Think about a challenge you are currently facing. How can you use the three Gs to create a better outcome? Does one G stand out?

2. In general, what can you put in the “drop” (see picture above) you add to your interactions to create a ripple effect toward your desired outcomes?

3. Can you think of a person who best embodies the three Gs? How did your last interaction with them exemplify the three Gs, and how can you adopt one or more of those behaviors?