There’s a growing body of research evidence—and a lot of commonsense—that suggests we benefit on many levels when we regularly display gratitude to the people who help us on our journeys.

Think about it:

  • It’s practically impossible to be mad or in a bad mood when you express or even think feelings of gratitude.
  • You create a powerful, positive experience for someone else when you share your gratitude with them, which has the double benefit of reinforcing your good feelings. Simply stated, sharing your gratitude may improve your happiness.
  • Gratitude has a multiplier effect with a positive impact for all who encounter it.

I checked, and it’s reasonable to suggest we all need more positive experiences and feelings in our lives right about now.

Show Gratitude Daily

Go to extraordinary lengths to display your gratitude for those you encounter daily. It costs nothing to thank someone for their help. If the support is excellent, share your appreciation with their boss.

Give positive feedback! In too many workplace environments, we’re taught to focus on uncovering weaknesses and offering coaching and constructive criticism. Those are important for development, but what’s missing is how the positive input and genuine expressions of appreciation light up the faces and brains of those we share it with in our working encounters.

By sharing with others how they positively affect us, we might just create a tsunami of gratitude in our world. Share on X

Show Your Gratitude for Those Who Helped You on Your Journey

Make a list of everyone you can think of who helped you along your way. Here are some prompters:

  • Who gave you a chance that opened a new path for you?
  • Which teacher inspired you above all others?
  • Who helped you when you were struggling in a new role?
  • Who were the team members that gave you a chance to learn to lead?
  • Who helped you look at yourself and your abilities differently and spur you along on your journey to becoming the person you are today?
  • Who taught you instead of criticizing you?
  • Who let you flail, and even though you were mad at them at the time for not helping, you recognize this was their way of helping?
  • Who taught you lessons you’ve carried with you your entire life?

In a few minutes, you can call, e-mail, or better yet, write a personal note to one of those individuals and share with them how they affected you when you worked together. In many cases, they won’t know they had this impact on you. In all cases, they’ll be moved and even overwhelmed to learn about their impact. They’ll also be grateful you took the time to share.

Do this today for one of the people on your list.

And then do it again tomorrow or next week for someone else.

And keep doing it.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Have you ever heard a eulogy and wondered what the person being eulogized would have thought hearing the words describing them and their impact on those speaking? Did they know how they affected people? Did they know they were appreciated and valued, and did they know why? Chances are, they didn’t.

Reach out and start telling people today, while it counts.

Art's Signature