This Simple Gratitude Practice Can Grow Your Audience
→ Today I'm talking all about gratitude; why it's so powerful to actually say "thank you", how it rewires your brain, and how it can help you actually grow your audience and reach your goals. I also share my unique gratitude practice, and no it's NOT a gratitude journal! This is much better. Whether you're trying to grow your audience on social media or grow your business, intentionally being grateful can change everything for you.
Note: This was written as a transcript for the video. Please excuse any grammatical errors.
Hi!
Welcome to my world, my name is Leigh and before I get into it first of all I wanna say that as of right now, 140 people have pressed that subscribe button for my channel and that means a lot to me.
I’m so grateful. Thank you.
Seriously, I almost wanna cry just thinking about it. Which maybe makes me seem a bit dramatic because I think in the online content world, numbers like 140 Youtube subscribers or 210 Instagram followers most people would see these as small numbers. Not enough. Insignificant. Maybe you even clicked this video expecting me to talk about how I gained like 10,000 followers overnight with this gratitude hack. But hopefully you can see where I’m actually going with this.
Because here’s what’s real and true. 140 youtube subscribers means that 140 individual whole-ass human beings saw something that I created and liked it enough to want to see more. That is wild to me. Like I can’t even imagine having 140 people in a room with me, much less actually paying attention to me.
I am so grateful for each and every one of you that is choosing to pay attention to me as I share my random thoughts on the internet.
So what I wanna talk about is how intentionally practicing gratitude has helped me shift my mindset about my business and my audience, and the actual tangible benefits of that.
My intentional Gratitude Practice:
So first off, when I say “intentionally practicing gratitude” that can look different ways for different people. I think what’s most common is to journal about it, but I actually don’t journal all that much, which is something I do wanna talk about in a future video, but staying on topic, I actually have a more “in-the-moment” type of gratitude practice. What I do is I have notifications on for every single touchpoint where people engage with my content. So I get an email and a phone notification whenever anyone subscribes to my Youtube channel, when someone joins my e-mail list, when a client pays for an invoice, when someone buys something from my online shop, basically I want to be aware the moment that there has been any exchange of value in my business or free content.
When we talk about exchange of value, most people only think of money, but in my opinion, a person’s attention is actually so valuable. We literally “pay attention” And that’s why I want to make sure that I’m being grateful for anyone opting to pay attention to me and whatever I’m creating or talking about.
So when I get those notifications, at any time of day, I just pause for a second and actually say thank you. Thank you Cindy for joining my email list. Thank you Dominique for paying your invoice on time. Thank you Kendra for subscribing to my channel. I actually say thank you out loud and if you think that’s silly or pointless you’re underestimating the power of your words, and your voice, and your emotions.
The energy of gratitude is so powerful.
I could be in the worst mood ever. I could be hangry. Tired. Overwhelmed. Stressed. But when I get a notification telling me that someone out there saw something I created, and made the conscious decision to press a button, for me? It just instantly elevates my mood.
I also think this gratitude practice is a great tool for manifestation. And if I just lost you with that word, listen, manifestation doesn’t have to be a “woo woo” spiritual thing if you don’t want it to be. It’s literally just about using the power of your own brain, as a resource to help you reach your goals.
I’ll make it really simple with how this gratitude thing works. When I say “thank you” to each person that engages with my content, that makes me feel good. I feel like I’m on the right track. I’m in alignment. I feel like I’m being recognized. People actually care what I have to say. And that makes me more motivated to keep creating. Because I can actually internalize the results of my effort. This is why I prefer to have this in-the-moment gratitude practice instead of journalling about it at the end of the day — or let’s be honest, planning to journal about every night but actually doing it once a month. When I say “thank you” in the moment, it feels more potent to me, and it affirms the belief that my efforts are constantly creating results. My platforms are constantly growing. Everything I create is an opportunity for more connections.
And on the more “woo woo” energetic side of things, because I love that shit, gratitude helps you embody the energy of already having everything that you want. And some people think this means you’re settling for less, but really what it does, in kind of a backwards way, is it tells the your subconscious mind (or the universe), that you’re in energetic alignment with the things that you want. You’re the type of person that gets to have these things. You have the capacity to receive it because you’re already thankful for it. Think about it this way,
If you’re not grateful for your first 100 subscribers, why be any more grateful for 100,000?
This concept applies to money, too. If you’re not grateful for a $100 sale, are you going to feel grateful for a $10,000 month?
What most people do is they just look at their total number, and if it’s not going up fast enough, if it’s not a big enough number yet, they tend to feel deflated. They feel like no one really cares what they have to say. They’re screaming into the void. It doesn’t really matter. They feel like they’re putting in all this work and still not getting the results they want. It becomes so much easier to fall into the comparison trap. I know these feelings, because I have felt them. And they are not motivating.
These are the types of thoughts that make people give up on their goals early. Or they spend a lot of time and energy worrying about an algorithm, instead of using that same time and energy on their actual content. They just desperately want that number to be higher, to grow faster, so they can finally achieve their goals. It’s giving “me, me, me” energy. Which is totally natural, by the way, I think humans are inherently selfish. But sometimes it’s just not helpful.
That energy of “desperately wanting something you don’t have” doesn’t actually do anything for you, it just affirms that the thing you want is out of your reach. It’s unattainable. And you might not think you’re being desperate, but energy doesn’t lie. It simply directs your focus. And when you’re in the energy of gratitude, love, and appreciation, it directs your focus to the things that actually matter. Like sharing your message, connecting with humans, creating art, helping people. Y’know, the things that actually make us feel fulfilled.
At least that’s how I think about it.
Ok bye!
SHARE THIS STORY
Take Your Brand to the Next Level
Take your creative vision and turn it into a cohesive brand story that attracts your dream customers! Sign up below to receive the free branding workbook to help you gain clarity and discover your unique brand story.
Looking for a branding expert to help you build the brand of your dreams? I’d love to help you over at LEIGH THE STUDIO where I offer brand design, web design, and brand strategy guidance to creative entrepreneurs that want to make money doing their own thing.
