Micro-Wins, Macro-Gratitude

Why Thankfulness Requires Attention, Not Just Intention

We all feel thankful from time to time. Maybe it’s after a team member stepped up unexpectedly. Or when a last-minute meeting got canceled. Or when a family dinner ended in laughter, not stress. But unless we name that feeling — even just in passing — an attitude of gratitude rarely takes root.

Here’s a simple truth I heard from Pastor Andy Stanley, over a decade ago, that’s been reshaping how I lead and live:

Unexpressed gratitude is ingratitude.

Simply put…
If it stays in your head, it never makes a difference in the room.

The people around you don’t benefit from your silent appreciation. And you don’t build the kind of internal resilience that helps you weather hard seasons.

Internal thankfulness doesn’t automatically materialize as an outward posture of gratitude.

It needs attention. It needs expression.

And here’s what I’ve been learning lately:

Most of what we should be grateful for isn’t monumental. It’s not the million-dollar deal or the standing ovation. It’s micro-wins — the quiet, seemingly small victories that are easy to overlook.

Gratitude isn’t built in the grand moments. It’s built in the consistent noticing of the small ones.

• That moment your EA sent you a reminder just before you forgot something important.
• The unexpected “thank you” from a client you didn’t know you impacted.
• The second cup of coffee that hit just right before a hard meeting.

When you start collecting those micro-wins — by naming them, noting them, sharing them — you build up what I call a thankful reserve. And the more we build that reserve, the more perspective and peace we have when things don’t go our way.

You don’t crumble under pressure when you’ve spent the last 30 days noticing everything that went right.

You don’t get derailed by criticism when you’ve trained your mind to recall what’s been working.

The real practice of gratitude isn’t waiting for the highlight reel. It’s forming a habit of noticing, naming, and celebrating the invisible good — the everyday faithfulness of people and the hidden gifts in your day.

So here’s a simple challenge you can start today:
👉 At the end of each workday, write down three micro-wins.
👉 When you think about your gratitude for someone, tell them. Your brain will reward you either way, but they only receive the benefits of your gratitude if you tell them.
👉 Every Friday, tell one person about something you were grateful for that week.

That’s it.

But I promise — do this for a month, and it will change your mindset, your relationships, and your leadership.

Let’s build a thankful reserve strong enough to withstand a hard season.

---