Taking Gratitude to the Next Level

Through birthdays and work anniversaries, LinkedIn prompts people to recognize each other. Recently, several people reached out to me to congratulate me on my work anniversary — and it prompted a moment of deep gratitude. 

Ready to bring power to your people? Contact us for a consultation. 

As busy as we are, we don’t always stop to reflect in gratitude. But there are reasons to celebrate. During the pandemic, we shifted to virtual learning and broader organizational development. And with the support of my clients, collaborators and family, we are thriving.

These social media congratulations on my work anniversary made me stop in a moment of deep gratitude.  

My Non “Work Anniversary” 

That said, I am self-employed — so I suppose I am being congratulated on not firing myself. Not yet anyway. 

As a few “Congratulations for not getting fired!” comments trickled into my LinkedIn feed, I reflected on Drew Dudley’s viral Tedx Talk about Lollipop Moments. He shares that while we celebrate birthdays — “Congratulations for not dying!” — we don’t celebrate impact – “Thank you for the profound impact you made in my day, week, or life.” 

The congratulations on my non-work anniversary felt good as I reconnected with old friends and colleagues. Life has a way of pulling us in new directions, apart from people we were once very close to. Over time, disruptions to our careers, companies, families, and geographies, bring us into new and different orbits with new and different people. 

That said, Drew Dudley’s cynical point made me reflect. How many times did I miss the opportunity to share the impact those people or others had on my day, week, or life? Over the past few years, I’ve made gratitude an intentional part of my practice — in all facets of my life. But there’s much more I can do. 

Gratitude & Work Anniversaries

Gratitude takes intentional practice, but sharing that gratitude with others is a vulnerable act. Sharing why others’ actions are meaningful to you is vulnerable. It’s vulnerable to admit that I could not do “this” without you. It’s vulnerable to admit that my success is dependent on other people who provide different insights and talent.

In conclusion, my clients, collaborators, and family make Ziel Leadership fly and I must express my gratitude. I cannot do this without you.