I received my first “like” ever on my public-facing blog yesterday and I got my first official follow ever today as well.

Usually I could care less about how much recognition I get on social media, but this one like and one follow felt bigger – it felt like a million of ’em. In an instant, a giant smile came across my face and my heart was filled with gratitude.

The feeling itself reminded me of some lessons in recognition that we should all think about in our personal and professional lives:

• Celebrate the contribution; Applaud the effort that someone made and gave
• Even the simplest gestures of acknowledgement can have profound effects on people, giving them the confidence they need to try new and harder things; encouraging them to reach further and achieve more
• A “like” to one person may not mean very much, but a “like” to someone else, especially in challenging times (like the last year of the pandemic) may mean everything.

How you show up and show that “like” to someone is up to you, but it’s always better than staying silent.

Gratitude changes everything and it’s way easier to show it to someone than you think.

Who will you show gratitude to/for today?

@cpeakeio 😊