Jerry & Sheryl Isenhour, CVC Success Group coaches

CVC Succcess Group coaches Jerry & Sheryl Isenhour

In this episode of The Chimney and Fireplace Success Network we talk about Gratitude.
Showing and speaking gratitude can make a significate difference in our lives. By making a
conscious effort to show gratitude on a daily basis, you can make a difference in the lives of
those around you.

The Chimney and Fireplace Success Network is a weekly podcast brought to you by the CVC
Success Group and hosted by industry expert, Jerry Isenhour. Each week you will find new
presentations to assist business owners and managers in turning their business dreams into
their business realities.

Transcript

Showing Gratitude, A Way To Make A Significant Difference

Jerry Isenhour: 2020, it’s not truly a year of all bad things. In 2020, there are things that we need to be grateful for. In 2020, we can be grateful that we live in a country where we can complain, but where we can still make our lives and our businesses into what we imagine them to be. And we can have our dreams about what we want to be.

You know, as we go into 2020 at the end, and start into another year, let me ask you a question. In 2020, have there been those that have left this earth that we should have expressed gratitude for? Are there those in 2020 that have had a profound effect on our life? I think if we really look, there’s a lot we need to be grateful for.

And as I put together this week’s podcast, Sheryl asked a question. But what do you think we need to talk about this week? And I said you know, I’ve got a couple of ideas rolling through my head, and she said I think we need to talk about gratefulness, and I said I think you’re right. So, stay with me, we’ll be right back, and we’ll talk about gratefulness and the things that you may want to consider do, to show others your gratitude.

Jerry Isenhour: One of the people that I’ve studied under and certified by is a gentleman by the name of John Maxwell, Dr. John Maxwell. So as I start this podcast, I want to say a quote from Dr. Maxwell. And this is what he said; people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And listen to that quote, that is a gold nugget for every one of us.

We want to be great salespeople

Because you see, so many of us want to be technically proficient. We want to be great salespeople; we want to be great communicators. But what we’ve got to do is make sure that others know how much we truly care, how much we truly care. So gratefulness is something that we just need to take a look at, because I think we’re all guilty so often of not being grateful for the great things that are in our life.

So I’ve got a couple of challenges for you today, to help you in a journey to be more grateful. And here’s challenge number one, every single day of your life, take a photo. Take a photo of something you’re grateful for, something you’re grateful for, or someone that you’re truly thankful for. Take this photo, and take this mental note down, that this is something that you are thankful for and grateful for to have this person. You see, we got to get on this journey of being more grateful with the things in our lives.

 

Do you truly express your gratitude in every transaction

Here’s challenge number two for you, in your transactions with others that provide services to you. Do you truly express your gratitude? Do you take the time, look them in the eye and really say thank you, I appreciate what you do for me? 

Challenge number three put up gratitude stop signs in your life. Make the time in your life to notice those things around you that you should truly be grateful for each and every day, that’s number three.

Here’s number four, and this is going to be a hard one. This is going to be something you’re going to need to do some deep thinking about; it’s going to be really hard to do. But here’s what I want you to consider doing. I know you’ve got people that are important in your life and they’re still alive. Think about this, if you could write a eulogy and give it to them while they are still alive.

What is you could express your words in writing

What do you think that would do for them? If you expressed words on paper, the gratitude that you had for that person. You know, I lost a dear friend this past week, he passed away. I gave him the NCSG Presidents award some years ago when I was President of National Chimney Sweep Guild. And appointed him to some positions, and he did a great job. But you know something, over the last few years, even though I knew that he had been sick, I did not reach out to him.

Now it is a challenge, why didn’t I reach out to this gentleman? Why didn’t I share with him how grateful I was that he had been in my life? And he’s not the first one that’s passed away like this year. I’ve had other friends that passed away in the year 2020. And I would love the opportunity now to be able to say hey, thanks for what you did for me. Thanks for what you did for others. Because you’re a person that truly made a difference in the lives of other people. And your contributions were remarkable. Think about that. Challenge number five, what are the things that you would like people to be grateful to you for? What would you love to hear from the people in your life? Just think of the emotions you go through when people tell you things.

I really appreciate what you did for me

Oh, I really appreciate what you did for me. How you stepped out of your comfort zone to help me. Challenge number six, this is for those of you who are managers or employees or who supervise other people. Do you ever share with these people that report to you that works for you, that you’re grateful for them? Do you ever simply stop and say thanks? I really appreciate the hard work that you do. Do we show them our gratitude, or do we just consider that the paycheck is gratitude enough? And we never ever thank them.

How do you show gratitude to your employer

So, here’s challenge number seven. And this goes out to those of you who work in a company. How do you show gratitude to your employer, to your boss? You know something, your employer is a person who lays it on the line, and they carry the ultimate responsibility for those that depend on them for their livelihood. Just look around your company right now, what’s the economic impact of your company? How many people does the success of your company rely on?

Do we really show gratitude to our customers

Challenge number eight, do we really show gratitude to our customers for the role that they play in our success? Are we grateful every time that phone rings? Are we grateful every time we get an email? Are we grateful when people reach out to us and contract with us and hire us to do their work? Are we really showing them the gratitude that you can be there? Because when you do that, what is going to happen is you are going to build a loyal following of customers.

A loyal customer is the most valuable asset a company can have

You know, one of the things that Jeffrey Gitomer wrote a book about was, that satisfaction, customer satisfaction was really worthless unless they were loyalty customers. Because a loyal customer is the most valuable thing that you can have. So when you show gratitude for your customers for the role that they play in your success, what you’re going to find out is that this is going to help them to sell you.

So how can you show gratitude to your customers for that role they play in your success? Challenge number nine-show gratitude to those who extend the helping hand, who extend friendship to you. Think about it, doesn’t cost you a dime. A simple word saying thanks, you’re important to me. You mean a lot to me. You help me get to where I’m going in this world. And you know as I end my segment here, I am going to share a couple more quotes with you.

Here is a quote from Zig Ziglar

I had shared a quote earlier from John Maxwell, but here is one that Zig Ziglar wrote. And Sheryl may repeat this in her part because she is a bigger follower of Zig than I am. But said the more, what Zig said was, the more you express gratitude for what you have, the more that you will have to express gratitude for. In other words, gratitude is going to help build your security in life, the things that make you comfortable. And Zig had one more quote I’m going to share with you, the greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times.

Because this is what happens, and it happened many times. You know like I said when I was president of national chimney sweep guild, the chimney safety institute of America. I was able to give out awards. I gave out awards of a president’s award, have an education award, a friendship award and even a lifetime achievement award.

It is very emotional to give or receive awards

And you know were very emotional for me, to be able to give those. It’s also emotional to be able to receive awards like that, which I’ve been through those emotions also from some of the awards that I’ve won in the industry I’ve worked in. So think about it, Sheryl’s going to be stepping up to the mic in a minute, and she’s going to give you her feelings on gratitude.

And how important it is, to be able to show others in your life, the gratitude that you have for them. Remember, maybe this world isn’t the greatest, but at least you live in a world that it is your decision, do you want to complain? Or do you want to express gratitude? It’s all up to you. So, stick around, Sheryl will be with you in just a minute.

Sheryl Isenhour: As many of you know, Jerry and I have different opinions. Sometimes we have the same opinion, but I have a little different take on gratitude. I mentored under the great Zig Ziglar, that’s where I have my certification through. And one of the sayings that he always used was an attitude of gratitude. Now, exactly what does that mean? And exactly how do you do it? An attitude of gratitude means making it a habit to express thankfulness and appreciation in all parts of your life. And on a regular basis, for both the big and the small things alike.

Many times, we talk of being grateful

It has been said that if you concentrate on what you have, you will always have more. Many times we talk about being thankful, how does that differ from grateful? The definition of thankful is feeling pleased and relieved. Being grateful and thankful are both positive feelings, and both grateful and thankful are triggered by an event.

But the difference between grateful and thankful is that by definition, grateful is directed outward from the person who is feeling it, while thankful is generated inside the person. Other words, no one sees the thankful, but you generate grateful. That’s the one reason I like thanksgiving. For some reason, this is one of the few times that many people express being grateful. It is not to say that people are not, but many people just find it really hard to say.

Express what they are grateful for

On Thanksgiving, I have made it a practice to bring everyone together before the meal, and I ask each, in turn, to express what they are thankful for. When they are speaking of thankful, we can see the grateful coming out. Even though we know that the person is thankful for what they are vocalizing, it just brings out the emotions of the others.

Thus, a feeling of being grateful. So being grateful comes out of the person, and reaches others. I most want to have my grandchildren do this because it’s so important that they learn not only to express their thankfulness but to show their gratefulness. An attitude of gratitude means that you operate from a place of abundance, instead of a place of scarcity or fear.

Each of us always has a choice

Each of us always have a choice of what we focus on, grateful people give thanks for everything in their lives, even on the days when they feel like nothing is going right. Are you only grateful on the days you feel good? Or can you just suck it up as they say and be grateful every day? You are thankful, and you show gratitude.

Thankful is an expression that you hand out, but grateful is what someone can see and what someone can feel. One of the best examples of thankful is when the pilgrims began their time of thanksgiving. We all have different ideas of thanksgiving, but thanksgiving was not solely about the pilgrims. What makes thanksgiving one of the most cherished American holidays aside from Christmas? Is the tradition of joining loved ones in a holiday feast.

The traditional Thanksgiving meal expresses prosperity, freedom and gratitude

For over 200 years, Americans have been sitting down to turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, pies and much more. The traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner represents more than just a familiar meal; it symbolizes prosperity, freedom and gratitude.

We give thanks for what we have; we exude gratitude to show it to others. I know you probably won’t be listening to this on thanksgiving, for us it’s just the week after thanksgiving. But take the feelings that you have at thanksgiving, and show them through the years. Show the gratitude, when you sow gratitude to others, others will react to it, and in turn, it makes your day better.

When you smile, others will smile back

It is much like a smile; when you smile, others will smile back. Some openly, some inside, but there’s always a smile. Today, I just want to express my gratitude to those who have helped me achieve what I am and put me on the path of what I will become. I want to end with a quote from Zig Ziglar, among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile and a grateful heart. With this, I want to turn it back over to Jerry to wrap up our program and express our gratitude to each of you for joining us in this cast.

Jerry Isenhour: You know one of the things that I am grateful for is the lady that just spoke to you because she is one of my mentors. She’s a coach for me; she helps me through my difficult times. She also does piles of work for me, helping me to serve my customers better.

Our relationship with our clients are more than business, they are friends 

And she does so much for so many people in the world of hiring, helping them get through, helping them understand behavior patterns of their people. But our relationship with our clients is not just a business relationship, they are our friends, and we go through with them their difficulties in life as they face their challenges.

Don’t be a chronic complainer, be a person of gratitude

Sometimes it’s a loss of a loved one in their lives and something we understand because we’ve been there. It could be any number of things, but this is what we’re going to encourage you to do. Instead of complaining about the world that we live in every single day, and we see this on social media, the chronic complainers, the chronic complainers. Don’t be a chronic complainer, be a person of gratitude, be a person that offers strategies and solutions to others.

Be a person that’s there for your friends. Think about the challenges I’ve given you today, thinking about how to put into words to express the gratitude that you have for the loved ones in your life whether they be family, friends, business associates, employees, employers whatever. How can you give them your words, because what it’s going to be is, it’ll be the most treasured gift that you can ever give another. And with that, we’re going to end this podcast episode.

It’s our team that steps up to the plate to help others

We appreciate you joining us. We are CVC success group, and we’re a team of subject matter experts in all areas of business. It’s a team of people, it’s not just myself, and it’s not just myself and Sheryl. But it’s our team that steps up to the plate to help others. So as I end this, I want to make sure that all the people on the CVC team know the gratefulness that I feel for each of you, for what you provide myself and our clients. So hope you have a great week, we really appreciate you joining us.

As always, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege, and it’s truly a pleasure to be able to pass our words along to you in this manner. So my name is Jerry Isenhour, we’re CVC success group, reach out to us let us know how we can help you turn those business dreams into your business and life realities. We look forward to having a conversation with you.