Let’s start with something that might sting a little:
You are probably misusing or underusing gratitude right now, without even realizing it. Even in the smallest ways, this gap is holding back results. If you want to improve almost any situation, conflict, stress, change, or challenge, you must first embrace gratitude and close the gap.
Recently, former NFL quarterback Drew Brees said during his speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8, 2026, that he thanked mentor Tom House for helping “prolong my prime and make gratitude my secret weapon“. Yes, gratitude is the secret weapon for performance and more. But you have to know how to make it visible and grow it.
Gratitude isn’t just a soft feeling or a Hallmark moment. It’s one of the easiest ways to stay grounded in a world that isn’t all sunshine and unicorns and is constantly changing towards something that isn’t even known yet.
Even before science proved the power of gratitude, we had wisdom. The Roman philosopher Cicero called gratitude the parent of all virtues. Positive Psychology research backs that up. According to the VIA Institute on Character, gratitude is a core strength, and they say that when you understand and strengthen your character, you can thrive.
I’ve found that leaders I’ve researched, interviewed and worked with who cultivate strong, intentional gratitude see improvements in nearly every area of their team and business lives. They see results such as:
- Lower stress, anxiety, and negativity
- More calm, clarity, and resilience
- Higher employee engagement and retention
- Greater innovation and creativity
- Better decision-making and collaboration
- Stronger, more human-centric cultures
- Higher-performing teams
- Improved business outcomes
If that list sounds idealistic, it’s not. It’s research-backed, and it’s exactly what strong gratitude makes possible. Do your own research or check out the references I used in my book.
When you believe gratitude makes everything better, then learn it’s a skill that requires practice to strengthen, you’ll embrace it and experience its power.
What does it mean to make gratitude visible? How can you measure it? It is possible. It can be as simple as assigning a number right now, on a scale of 1-10: how strong is your gratitude now? Gratitude has many variables that you can consider when measuring it. For example: depth, duration, environment, ability to shift to gratitude, and more. Regardless of how you make gratitude visible and measure it, the follow-up is: what can you do to strengthen it?
Gratitude is not just a switch to turn on when things go well but also a light that shines in the darkness. ~ Dr. Robert Emmons, Gratitude Researcher
