#6 That time (okay THOSE TIMES) I tried to meditate and fell asleep. And RELATED, how to keep employees.

Happy Thanksgiving.  This one is gratitude adjacent, with some tips for how to survive hanging out with your family for 12-14 hours in one sitting.

I’ve never quite understood what it meant when people said that I should “practice being more present”. I fall asleep when I try to mediate, and the closest I could ever get to clearing my mind was when my dad asked me to cut the grass as a kid-I used to love the way walking that hand mower back and forth to make those lines in the grass somehow allowed me to forget how nervous and awkward I felt the rest of the time. Everything else was chaos, but this, this yard was perfect.

As an adult with a growing business and two young kids, my absolutely favorite time of the work week is the seven minutes at the end of our Monday meeting, when the meeting is handed over to a guy named James who doubles as our product designer, and he asks all of us to offer up some gratitude from the week before. It’s a tiny act, but it’s seven minutes to look back, breathe, and remember the moments and people that made a difference in my week. It has a huge effect on my mental health.

Here's why that happens.  When you spend time being grateful, your brain wakes up it's reward pathways.  You get a little tiny squirt of dopamine (reward) AND serotonin (emotional regulation and happiness). It's not James...it's science.

This can also affect your business. 81% of employees reported working harder for bosses who showed them a little public and outward appreciation from time to time. Scott Galloway has famously said, and he's right, that the number one driver of retention among employees is not the mission. It's not the food, and it's certainly not the pay.  38% say it's whether or not they have friends at work.  People want to feel liked, connected, and appreciated.

So, to all of you who Thanksgiving is completely overwhelming for, I offer you "James on Mondays". Just a couple of minutes at the tail end of the big get together to look back breathe, and remember he moments and people that make a difference to us. Everything else may be chaos, but these little moments just might be perfect

It's for the Birds,

Ian

 PS-Each week I look at the mistakes I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned at Day Owl so hopefully, you don't have to.  I also do an Instagram reel to go with this note @hellodayowls. This is all rather embarrassing for me and hopefully entertaining for you. We’re calling it all "For the Birds", and this is installment #6. Comment (it makes it so much more fun), ask whatever you want, and if this reminds you of something YOU want to share, text me...724.312.1012.