“The Importance of Thankfulness in Personal and Professional Life
Gratitude is more than just a positive emotion—it’s a transformative practice that can elevate your personal and professional life. By focusing on thankfulness and appreciation, you can shift your mindset, improve relationships, and create an environment where trust and empathy thrive. Whether at home or at work, showing gratitude reminds us that we are all humans, driven by our need for connection and appreciation.
Gratitude Starts with Baby Steps
Building a habit of gratitude doesn’t require grand gestures. It starts with small, intentional actions. By committing to just one new habit of expressing thankfulness or appreciation each day, you can gradually create a mindset of gratitude. These small acts—what I like to call "baby steps"—help you notice the good around you and, over time, can build a culture of positivity in both your personal and professional worlds.
The Impact of Gratitude and Appreciation in the Workplace
In the professional sphere, thankfulness and appreciation are critical to creating an engaged and motivated team. Studies have shown that employees who feel appreciated are more productive, loyal, and committed to the organization. Appreciation fuels intrinsic motivation, helping people feel valued for who they are, not just what they do. As Mike Robbins wisely states, “Recognition is about what people do; appreciation is about who they are.”
When leaders and colleagues express genuine gratitude, they foster trust, build stronger relationships, and create a more resilient team. Thankfulness nurtures emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and empathize with others. By practicing empathy, showing appreciation, and checking in on team members beyond work-related conversations, leaders build trust, the foundation of any strong relationship.
As the saying goes, "People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care." When leaders take the time to ask how their team members are doing and listen to their challenges, they show they value them as people, not just employees. This simple act of checking in can improve team morale and drive positive cultural change within the company.
The Role of Gratitude in Personal Relationships
On the personal side, expressing gratitude helps deepen connections with family, friends, and loved ones. Gratitude is a form of emotional currency that strengthens relationships by acknowledging the contributions of others. It also helps you focus on the positive aspects of your life, reducing stress and enhancing well-being.
Thankfulness encourages us to pause and reflect on what truly matters—whether it’s the support of a close friend, the love of a family member, or even the gift of good health. It shifts our focus from what we lack to what we already have, helping us cultivate a greater sense of contentment and peace.
Building Emotional Intelligence Through Thankfulness
Emotional intelligence is at the heart of gratitude. When you express thankfulness and appreciation, you tap into key components of EQ: empathy, self-awareness, and relationship management. Empathy allows you to understand the feelings of others, while self-awareness helps you recognize how your actions and words impact those around you. By consistently practicing gratitude, you can strengthen these EQ skills, which are essential for building trust and fostering meaningful relationships both at work and in your personal life.
Trust, developed through appreciation and empathy, is a cornerstone of strong relationships. When people feel appreciated, they are more likely to reciprocate with trust and openness. This reciprocal dynamic can lead to greater collaboration, innovation, and overall success in a professional setting. In personal life, it creates a foundation of emotional safety and mutual respect.
10 Ways to Express Thankfulness, Appreciation, and Gratitude at Work
Say “thank you” for a job well done and be specific about what you appreciated.
Publicly recognize a colleague in meetings or on team calls.
Send a personal note of appreciation, highlighting a colleague’s strengths.
Give credit where it’s due, acknowledging team efforts and individual contributions.
Take the time to check in with team members about their well-being.
Celebrate small wins and progress, not just major milestones.
Offer to help a colleague who is overwhelmed or struggling with their workload.
Create opportunities for growth by encouraging a coworker to take on a new project or responsibility.
Bring a small treat or token of appreciation to share with the team.
Lead by example by modeling a culture of gratitude and recognition.
10 Ways to Express Thankfulness, Appreciation, and Gratitude in Personal Life
Tell loved ones that you appreciate them and why.
Write a handwritten note to a friend or family member expressing gratitude.
Compliment someone genuinely and meaningfully.
Spend quality time with someone without distractions, showing them you value their presence.
Offer to help a family member or friend with a task, just because you care.
Give a small gift as a token of appreciation for their support or friendship.
Reflect on what you’re thankful for each day and share it with a loved one.
Listen actively when someone shares their thoughts, showing you care about their perspective.
Celebrate milestones and small victories in your loved ones’ lives.
Express gratitude in the moment, whether it’s for a kind gesture or an everyday occurrence.
Gratitude Starts with You
Gratitude and appreciation are powerful tools for transforming both your personal and professional life. Whether you’re checking in on a coworker, thanking a friend for their support, or recognizing a colleague’s efforts, these small acts build trust, foster connection, and enhance your emotional intelligence. Remember, it all starts with baby steps—try one new thing each day to express and look for gratitude, and watch as it strengthens your relationships and elevates your well-being.
Reflective Question: What is one small way you can start expressing gratitude today, either at work or in your personal life?”1
BONUS - To assess where you and your organization are in your employee engagement culture journey, download my “Culture Pulse: Employee Engagement Questionnaire” here: https://www.badeauconsulting.com/culturepulseeequestionnaire
Are you ready to dig into emotional intelligence, employee engagement, and leadership? I help uncomplicate leading humans so that companies and their employees can harness the moments of change without burning out their people in the process.
We do this by designing and implementing a system that lets their employees activate their leadership potential to benefit the company overall.
In doing so, the companies can grow without dealing with growing pains.
If you are ready to get started, please reach out to chat: https://www.badeauconsulting.com/.
I look forward to providing monthly pulse points to help you stay up to date with how the workplace culture scene is evolving.
About Jaclyn T. Badeau, CPA, CGMA, MBA, EQ Certified
Jaclyn Badeau is a People Success Strategist who helps uncomplicate leading humans so that companies and their employees can harness the moments of change without burning out their people in the process. With a background in cultivating high-performing teams, delivering coaching and mentoring, serving as a global business risk advisor, and facilitating leadership training to a global workforce, Jaclyn has a unique perspective on what employees need and what works. Jaclyn is also a multi-award recipient and is passionate about sharing her expertise and knowledge in volunteer advisory and leadership roles for many associations and not-for-profits.
About Pulse Point
Pulse Point is a monthly blog to stay up to date with how the workplace culture scene is evolving.
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1 OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (October 2023): Large language model. Retrieved from https://chat.openai.com
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