This November Express Your Gratitude in Meaningful Ways
November 2025
Beyond Gratitude
November is obviously the month for Thanksgiving. In keeping with Business Network International’s (BNI) 2025 theme of ‘Beyond’ we need to amplify out gratitude. A way to do this is to intentionally acknowledge and appreciate as many people as possible. This fits in with something I learned from Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI about giving testimonials. To give a meaningful testimonial you must be specific and elaborate with an example or story. Please don’t just say someone is awesome. Saying someone is awesome is hollow. I found this out when I was working as a psychologist with abused and neglected children. It was popular for adults to just say “you’re awesome” to every child they met. Frankly, the children saw this as insincere. It was much more helpful and well received to notice something specific that you liked about them or to say that you enjoyed something you did together.
How will you show more gratitude?
A lack of sincerity is also apparent to adults! Make November a month to express gratitude for the people in your life in a meaningful way. Verbalize what it is that you see in them or sense in them that evokes gratitude. November is the time to honor both the living and the dead. My friend Debbie Zike recently sent me a plaque with this message: “Around me I wear an invisible coat of many colors, fabrics and textures. It is made of friends and family here and no longer here, far and not so far. They are all part of my coat which keeps me warm wherever I go.” (written by Sally Auss). I love this quote because it is powerful to be sustained by the memory of deceased loved ones. Not a holiday goes by that I do not honor the legacy of my dear deceased friend, Janet Block. Janet was extremely grateful for everything that anyone gave her and for all the people she cherished. Let’s try to create the kind of holidays and celebrations that Janet had at her house. Janet set the stage with plenty of decorations and food. But even more importantly, her kind word make everyone feel valued and accepted.
How could you be like Janet?
If you are in business don’t forget to show gratitude towards your customers, vendors and employees. Don’t hesitate to send Thanksgiving cards. Be eager to give tips and bonuses. Think of a time that you were a customer, vendor or employee that felt invisible and unappreciated. I don’t want anyone I know to feel that way. I learned a lot about gratitude from my father. He truly appreciated his customers and friends and wasn’t afraid to show it. He always had something positive to say to you. He remembered his customer’s interests. If he was entertaining them he served their favorite food and beverage. My father would compliment his colleague’s accomplishments and comment on their spouse and children’s successes. I want to be remembered like my father’s best friend Bill Miller remembered him. Bill lived on after my father died. Every year he sent me a letter telling me about all the things he missed about my father. He said that my father “left a void that could never be filled.”
How do you want to be remembered?
We have gone Beyond many challenges in 2025. What has kept me inspired is noticing values and virtues in the people I know. With some of the bad news in 2025 I got discouraged and wondered if people could even identify their values let alone live by them. Recently, a business owner who joined my BNI renewed my faith in small business owners. His name is Jeff Armitage, owner of Armitage Heating and Cooling (armitagehvac.com 417-865-0755). In vetting a business for BNI, we look at an owner’s values especially our core value of Givers Gain. Jeff said all the right things on his website. His company stands for reliability, quality, respect and innovation. He says “we don’t just fix systems; we set the standards.” It’s easy to say the right thing, but I like to sit back and watch what a person actually does. I noticed that Jeff devoted a lot of his time to mentoring younger business owners. I knew he truly valued Giver’s Gain when he took a group of young men to a Men’s Conference. Jeff walks the talk.
What are your actions saying about you?
Make sure that your Thanksgiving month is full of testimonials. Take every opportunity to verbalize something specific and positive about someone. Don’t forget to promote your business colleagues. During quiet moments, reminisce and treasure memories of your deceased loved ones. When you die, people will tell stories of how you make them feel good. People don’t tell stories about individuals who were self-centered and only praised themselves! Be the Jeff Armitage in your business community. Emulate a Janet Block in your social circle.
Who will you become?
If you really want to treat friends or family to something special, reserve my country retreat, Sabbath Sojourn. Here at Sabbath Sojourn we are grateful for all the natural wonders that surround us. We are surrounded by fields of grazing buffalo, horses and cattle! The trees are turning colors but the grass is still emerald green.
https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/us/mo/buffalo/462541?queryID=2c2f70dd5b526a4ad69f3561a0e8645d
https://evolve.com/vacation-rentals/us/mo/buffalo/462542?queryID=2c2f70dd5b526a4ad69f3561a0e8645d
Originally posted by Coaching for Success via Locable