As many of U know, I’ve been a soul parent for 18 years, raising two amazing daughters while building a business, coaching and training leaders, and keeping up with the constant motion of life. I’m not the only one. Many of us…most of us…are juggling…A LOT. Through it all, if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this: it’s easy to get caught up in the doing of life.
The carpool lines. The work deadlines. The endless to-do lists that somehow refill themselves overnight. In the middle of all of it, gratitude can quietly slip out the back door. It’s not that we stop feeling thankful…I know that was never the case for me…it’s simply that the busyness takes over, and those little moments of appreciation can easily get lost in the shuffle.
As I reflect in writing this message, I realize that gratitude, when practiced intentionally, truly changes everything. And that’s not just at home, it’s at work, with your team, and sometimes most importantly, in your own sense of peace.
Gratitude at Work: The Everyday Leadership Habit
In the workplace, gratitude doesn’t need to be a grand gesture or a company-wide initiative. This is something I speak about often in my trainings. It’s in the small, human moments:
• Thanking a team member for jumping in when things were tight.
• Acknowledging someone’s creativity, calm, or quiet consistency.
• Taking five extra seconds to say, “I saw what U did there, and it mattered.”
When U choose to bring gratitude into your leadership, U create a culture of belonging. People don’t just feel noticed, they feel valued. And that, dear Leaders, is a basic human need.
Gratitude at Home: The Pause That Grounds U
As a parent, I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t something U always find in the quiet moments, rather it’s something U build in the noisy ones.
Sometimes it’s as simple as catching my breath after a long day and noticing the laughter drifting from my daughters’ rooms when they are both home from college. Or realizing that, even in the chaos, I’m surrounded by love, growth, and possibility. I have an incredible support system of family and friends, a business that I built and that I am so very proud of, and a future that is full of wonder and potential, no matter my age.
Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard stuff, let me be clear. It simply reframes it. (That’s a nod to all of our “U the Communicator” graduates…U learned all about reframing in class!) Most importantly, it helps U see the beauty right in the middle of the mess. And lord knows, it can get super duper messy at times…and that’s okay, too.
Gratitude for U: The Anchor Beneath It All
And let me highlight this one…it’s not only about others. Building gratitude into your day…for your health, your opportunities, your resilience…it re-centers U. It shifts your energy from pressure to presence. I have seen and felt this firsthand. I have a daily gratitude practice built into my Pilates routine, my daily walks with my dogs, and in the quiet moments before I go to sleep at night.
New to gratitude? Well Thanksgiving season is the perfect time to begin! My suggestion? Start small…
• Before your first meeting, name one thing you’re grateful for.
• During your drive home, reflect on one person who made your day lighter.
• Before bed, whisper one quiet thank U, even if it’s just for making it through a tough day.
Gratitude doesn’t require extra time. It simply requires extra awareness.
In work, in parenting, and in life, gratitude is the thread that ties this whole human experience together. It reminds us that even in the busiest seasons, there’s always something, and someone, to be thankful for. And when U make the conscious choice to share that gratitude out loud, U don’t just change someone’s day, U change the energy of your whole world.
Be the ripple.
And let me punctuate this: I am so very grateful for U, dear Leader. Thank U all for sticking by me all these years. It’s because of U that I get to be my BEST me, through doing the work I love. And for that I am eternally grateful.
With love & gratitude,
Jodi