I’ve had something on my mind the for last couple of weeks, and feel compelled to share it with you today. It’s so important, and it’s something you can use in your family, in your workplace, in your community, even in your church. This is something with the power to actually impact every single thing you do, every place you go, every relationship in your life… and without this in your life, you will not succeed.

A few weeks ago, our team did something really profound. I’ve had it on my heart to surprise our team with a beautiful, home-cooked lunch one day, and it turned out to be such a blessing – for me and for our team.

You see, we recently moved into a new office. This beautiful space is full of life and absolutely perfect for our team. It’s as if this space was created especially for us and such a blessing. And the move went so smoothly with the small team, under the direction of Jenn Rachford, doing such a phenomenal job of orchestrating the entire move.

With all that done, I really just wanted to celebrate, together, this new season we were entering and what God is doing within our team.

On a Monday morning we told the team a company-wide meeting had been called for noon that day so everyone needed to push their lunch hour back, to be in the office at that time. So at “high noon” that day, I showed up at the office with a beautiful meal, a few bottles of champagne and a tiramisu I spent hours making.

Before eating, our entire team took a few minutes to share what we are grateful for, as well as how our company, Destiny Global, has impacted each of our lives. It was a beautiful time of thanksgiving and encouragement!

It was so profound to hear the stories about lives changed through everything God has done. Some of our team have been with us for 20 years. A few of our team members are celebrating 10 year anniversaries in 2015. And, a couple of team members are fresh out of high school, and at 19 or 20 years old, stepping into their first job. They talked about how blessed they are to work in a place with such a culture of honor and an environment where they can grow and learn. I was so blessed, encouraged and blown away by some of the things these beautiful people said.

The reason I’m sharing this with you is because gratitude unleashes something powerful! When you express your gratitude, it encourages your soul. Listening to our team express what they are grateful for, I could see how it uplifted and encouraged them. When you are grateful and focus on those things you are grateful for, it encourages you… and everyone around you.

So, not only did we share this beautiful meal and celebrate this new season and the new space God has blessed us with, but we also got to express our gratitude – not for anything I have done, or even anything this team has done – but for what God has done.

I really want to encourage you to do this with your team – whether your team is your family, your coworkers, or even your community or organizations. It doesn’t have to be a big, elaborate thing. You don’t have to do this over a meal or at any certain time. But set a time this week to call a quick meeting, and take this time to express your gratitude and allow others to express theirs. You will be amazed by how uplifted and encouraged you feel.

It’s important to create a culture of encouragement and gratitude, and this is just one way you can do it. This will bring your team together and boost morale… big time! In fact, with encouragement and gratitude as the glue holding your team together, you will find you can endure more together. When hard times come, you will not be ripped apart. You will see less conflict. You will build healthier relationships. You will enjoy being around these people.

I can’t wait to hear your stories, in the comments below, of how you use this strategy within your own team! Start this process with your team right now, by sharing this message to your friends, family and coworkers.

And join our community today, by tuning in for The Dani Johnson Show to gain more wisdom, tips and strategies to improve your life! You can find the show on your TV and radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right here on our website.

In great faith,

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