The Gratitude Most Professionals Never Express

This week, you’ll see a lot of posts about gratitude.
Lists. Highlights. Year-end reflections.

All good things.
But here’s a different challenge:

Extend gratitude to someone who shaped your path and tell them why.

Think about:

• The manager who gave you your first big break.

• The colleague who saw potential you hadn’t yet claimed.

• The mentor who pushed you harder because they believed you could handle it.
  

Send a note. A message. A quick voice memo.
Tell them what you appreciated and the impact it had.

Here’s why this matters

Even the most accomplished professionals rarely see themselves clearly.
It’s a challenge, even for the best, to understand their unique strengths without a mirror.

And most never receive meaningful feedback unless something’s gone wrong.
We assume people know the impact they’ve had.
They usually don’t.

Your message might be the first time they’ve heard it put into words.

Gratitude is feedback in its highest form

It reinforces what people do best.
It reminds them their work matters.
And it reconnects you to the relationships that built your career.

I’ve seen senior leaders get teary over one sincere message of appreciation.
Because acknowledgment, not achievement, is what sustains people.

Try this today

Reach out to one person who helped shape your career.
Be specific. Tell them what they did and what it changed for you.

You’ll make their week, and you’ll feel something shift in yours too.

Next Chapter Reflection:

In my next piece, I’ll share the one productivity habit I had to break to truly feel progress again.

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