It’s Never Too Late to Say Thank You!

As I spent some time reflecting on what I’m grateful for this past Thanksgiving weekend, I was reminded yet again of how good gratitude makes me feel. Not only can remembering to be thankful for who and what we have in our lives make us feel good, it’s also good for us – from both a health and a business perspective!

Have you got regrets in life? We figure that most of us have at least one or two! Sometimes when we stop to think about what they might be though, we realize that most of them probably come from not expressing our gratitude often enough.

A lot of the time as entrepreneurs, we get so caught up in chasing those all-important revenues that we forget to take time to appreciate the customers responsible for them – as well as the team members who help make them grow.

People do business – and are in business – with other people. So one of the best things we can do for our company might be to start your day with appreciation for the ones you work for and with. In fact, expressing our gratitude on a regular basis can make us a better entrepreneur. Why? For the very simple reason that:

·        being appreciative of others helps us become a better leader,

·        being grateful for what we’ve got can increase our performance and productivity, and

·        being thankful in business often helps keep us sane!

Sure, we all have tough days. But carving out a few moments now and then to remember what I’m truly grateful for never fails to put me in a good mood.

If my life were to end today, I’d probably be thinking, “Well shoot! I’m not ready to go yet - I haven’t finished doing everything I set out to do!” But then I think, you know what? That stuff’s not really important, as long as everyone in my life knows how I feel about them: my family, my friends, my community. Having those people know what I stand for - and how appreciative I am of everything I have, and everyone I love – is really what matters to me.

There are a lot of things we take for granted in life – things we don’t always remember to stop and say thank you for. Have you given some thought lately to what those might be for you? My family is the most important thing in the world to me. But I’m also extremely thankful to have a front row seat in the entrepreneurial revolution I see all around me.

Getting to watch hometown heroes lead our community by the examples they set. Having the chance to learn, to listen, and to be involved. Being able to share my stories with people who care about me - and who care about entrepreneurship. That’s all stuff I try not to take lightly. Because there’s nothing quite like being appreciative for everything that you’ve got.