I wrote this post for LinkedIn, and thought it would be appropriate to post it here, as well.
With Thanksgiving coming up I’ve been thinking about the difference between gratitude and appreciation. We often use the words interchangeably, but I think there’s a meaningful distinction:
Gratitude is the feeling.
Appreciation is the action.
Gratitude is the quiet moment when you exhale and think, “Wow, I’m lucky to have this person, this opportunity, this community.”
Appreciation is when you take it a step further, when you send the message, make the call, leave the comment, extend the invite, give the compliment, or show up for someone. It’s gratitude in motion.
I’m feeling both today, the day before Thanksgiving.
I’m grateful for the people who connect with me and who read, share, comment, message, and circle back to tell me that a post helped them think differently, write differently, or do something a little bolder in their business.
And I deeply appreciate you because you don’t have to be reading this, you choose to. And that choice means something to me.
Today I’m going to show appreciation by doing something that comes naturally to me. I’m going to make proactive introductions to people who I think should get to know one another because of future business possibilities.
I’m also going to schedule some “6 in the city” gatherings so we can make our connections stronger by meeting IRL.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Share. Show appreciation and #justshowup.