By: Eric Gundlach

For business owners, severe weather events, like superstorm Sandy, bring a whole new set of problems to our lives already filled with challenges. While planning and preparation can help us cope, we can’t completely avoid the consequences of severe weather, which can range from inconvenience and annoyance to the tragic.

Times like this also give us an opportunity to reflect and consider all we have to be grateful for. Devastation elsewhere provides perspective on our relative good fortune.

The business owners and executives I know are most often in “problem solving mode” with their keen focus and restless energy directed toward fixing the most recent crisis or seizing a presenting opportunity before a competitor does. They rarely stop to take stock of what they and their companies have achieved and what value they are bringing to their customers or clients.

Yet numerous studies in the realm of brain science tell us that nurturing a sense of gratitude is one of the most significant differences between people who are satisfied with their lives and those who are not. (Some suggest it is the most significant differentiator.)

Additionally, a characteristic of “high performing teams” — those businesses or work teams that consistently outperform others — is clarity of purpose and a sense of appreciation for what they do. Simply put, the more we focus on problems, the more we see the world in terms of problems and the more miserable we become. Conversely, the more we focus on fulfilling our mission to our customers and appreciating that we have them, the better job we do for them and the more satisfied we are.

Amidst the disruption, inconvenience and images of real tragedy we have been experiencing, it’s a great time to appreciate what’s really important in our lives and how good we’ve got it.