In my last post, I shared a powerful leadership habit I had learned from former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, whose penchant for writing personal letters to fellow players, coaches, and fans has enhanced his hall of fame career as well as his already-strong personal brand.

This post generated a lot of positive comments, which prompted me to consider the big idea from the article: how integral the intentional expression of gratitude is to presenting the best version of ourselves.

More than simply a feel-good practice or courtesy protocol, volumes of research on the topic show that people who practice gratitude enjoy a host of positive outcomes.

And with Thanksgiving just days away, I figured this is a good time to share my top 3:

1. Grateful people are healthier, happier, and more resilient.
Robert Emmons, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of California Davis, who has authored 4 books on gratitude, studied more than one thousand people from ages eight to 80.

His research shows that people who consistently express gratitude report stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and better sleep as well as higher levels of optimism, joy, and pleasure.

According to Emmons, we can become immune to the positive emotions in our lives, but gratitude causes us to extract more benefits from the things in life that we can easily take for granted. This enhances not only our happiness but our physical health and sense of well-being.

It also gives us a positive perspective from which we can interpret negative life experiences, helping us guard not only against post-traumatic emotions like stress and anxiety but also less conspicuous negative emotions like resentment and envy.

That makes sense: After all, it’s impossible to feel grateful and resentful at the same time–they’re incompatible emotions.

When you’re grateful, you consciously elevate the positive, resourceful emotions which mobilize you to present a better version of yourself.

2. Gratitude expands your influence.
In his Lead to Win podcast, best-selling author and business coach Michael Hyatt shares a great story of his experience working with leadership icon John Maxwell when Hyatt was his publisher.

Maxwell treated Hyatt and a group of his professional circle to a day of golf followed by dinner. As Michael recalls:

We had a long day of golf and a fabulous dinner. John just decided he was going to go around the table and express to each of us what he was grateful for and what we had meant in his life. He wasn’t into it for about 30 seconds and he started crying. Before long we were all crying. That bonded me to John in a way you can’t imagine, because we all felt so appreciated. Now, John wasn’t doing that to manipulate us, but when we went back to work, I can guarantee you as a vendor of the Maxwell Organization, we were all thinking about how we could make him more successful. His heartful appreciation had a direct impact on our behavior. We worked harder for him.

Michael Hyatt’s experience illuminates the impact you can have on others when you’re intentional in sharing gratitude, which greatly enhances your influence.

Unfortunately, it is way under-utilized in the workplace. According to a study by the John Templeton Foundation, employees report that work is the last place where they experience expressions of gratitude.

In my experience as an employer, it’s not that leaders aren’t grateful, they’re just not intentional about expressing it. As business performance coach Megan Hyatt Miller says:

You’re not responsible for what you mean; you’re responsible for what you communicate. Thoughts by themselves don’t count. You don’t get credit until you express it.

3. Grateful people have a higher sense of self-worth.
According to Dr. Emmons, gratitude expands the sense that someone else is looking out for you.

It’s you acknowledging the extensive network of relationships that have helped you get to where you are right now.

In a world that is conditioned to highlight the negative, gratitude encourages us to see the good in our lives and attribute this goodness outside of ourselves, coming first from our Creator and extending it to a host of other people. Once you recognize that God and other people see tremendous value in you, it can transform the way you see yourself.

Whatever your plans are for this Thursday, remember that Thanksgiving is not just a holiday; it’s a lifestyle.

Enjoy the day’s bounty, but also take time to express your gratitude for the people in your life, including the least conspicuous ones, as my friend Jason Redmond recently shared on his Facebook page:

Here’s the full message from Jason’s post for those who aren’t on Facebook:

Perception of life changes everything, more so how we respond to it as opposed to reacting. So we have a parking lot near my office and if you don’t make it by 8:50 am it’s full. I used to [complain] about having to walk from the other lot, which…lol…is 5 minutes away. Lately, I happily park there and realize that it allows me to get centered, I get to look at the water and just be grateful I have two good legs and can make the journey. The other morning I stopped by the ticket lady and told her I understand how hard her job was and that I appreciated her role in keeping spots open. I thought she was going to break down and cry, as she said no one had ever thanked her, and I had just made her month. What did that take? Just a moment of appreciation. How much different would our world be if everyone could walk through their day in a state of gratitude. What can you do today that will allow you to live in a space of gratitude?

Jason’s closing question inspired me to conclude with this Thanksgiving gratitude challenge: Think of something you can do, beyond the ordinary, to share your gratitude this Thanksgiving. Here are a few ideas:

• Share with your parents 1-2 memories of how they helped you become the person you are today.
• Talk with your siblings about their strengths and how you’ve appreciated growing up with them.
• Call your friends and remind them how important they are in your life.
• Do something unexpected for your neighbor – write a card and place it on their doorstep, shovel the snow off their driveway, bake them cookies.
• Write a Facebook post about a favorite teacher, coach, or pastor and how they inspired you (and if they’re on Facebook, don’t forget to tag their name so they see your message – this will light up their day!)
• Tell your children (call or text them if they’re not with you) why they are so special and how important they are to you.
• Take one minute and walk inside the gas station, convenience store, or wherever you shop to wish the person behind the counter a Happy Thanksgiving and share your appreciation that they’re open on a holiday.

Remember, gratitude isn’t just a state, it’s a skill.

And what better time to practice than now, as we enter this season of giving thanks?

Let me know how it goes…and Happy Thanksgiving!