A short YouTube video by Amber Hollingsworth offering practical advice on expressing sincere gratitude: be specific about why you appreciate someone (examples for parents and loved ones), practice daily, and use written messages if speaking feels hard. The speaker also shares her personal YouTube journey—early struggles, lack of engagement, and deep appreciation for viewers who liked, commented, shared, or financially supported the channel—and thanks the audience while reiterating the channel’s recovery-focused mission.
Chapters
So today is all about gratitude. And I have a little tip for you on how to practice gratitude in the most effective, sincere and genuine way. I know it's tradition for families to sort of go around the table and say what they're thankful for. And most of us, myself included, I'm guilty of this, just feel a little awkward about the whole situation and say, I'm thankful for my family, or I'm thankful for this or that or something pretty general. And it's not so much that we don't mean it, but mostly in that moment, it's just a little awkward and we're trying to have something to say. That sounds right. But if you really want to practice gratitude in the most genuine, sincere and helpful way, then let people know why you appreciate them or what they've done that's been helpful for you specifically. Sure. Saying I love you and I appreciate you and thank you. Those are great things and it goes a long way. We should definitely keep doing those. But if someone has done something in your life that you really value and you really appreciate, let them know that specifically. So this year, instead of saying, I'm grateful for my family, let your mom know that you're grateful she stuck by you during that specifically hard time that you have. Let your dad know how appreciative you are, that he always came to your ball games as a kid or that he worked so hard to provide for you. When you say these things specifically, you really touch the heart of the other person and you let them know that you know what they did for you and what it means for you. So. So today, let someone know that you're proud of them and why. Let someone know that you appreciate them and why. And let someone know that you love them and take the time to explain exactly why that is. It will mean so much more. And if it feels too hard to do in person, then write a letter or send a text. And just remember, this is a recovery skill that can be used any day, anytime. In fact, I encourage you to do this kind of thing at least once a day to keep yourself happy and healthy and keep your relationships going strong. And so, speaking of that, I really want to take this moment to thank you for supporting this channel. This has been a long, hard journey. In fact, I really wanted to start this channel for like a year. I was thinking about it, saying I was going to do it before I ever did it. And then even when I started the channel, I didn't put any videos on the channel. And then I made videos and still didn't put them on the channel. Eventually, I did start making some videos and I didn't get a like or a subscriber or a comment for probably at least six months. And let me tell you, making the videos has been really difficult for me. At first I thought it was going to be super easy because I talk to people for a living and I've done workshops and seminars and all that kind of stuff. I thought, okay, I can do this. But you sit down and you're staring at the camera and your mind goes blank and you just feel awkward as heck. And okay, I'll admit it, a lot of those early videos really were pretty dang awkward. But not only have you stuck with me, but you've taken the time to like these videos, which helps spread them to more people. You've asked some really great questions, which lets me know what I need to talk about next. You take the time to share these videos and some of you have even went above and beyond to help financially support these videos. And I can't tell you how much I really, truly do appreciate it, because it really does take a lot of time, energy, and honestly, resources to get these videos out for you. And for a long time, everyone around me was telling me I was doing the wrong thing. Everyone wanted me to quit. Everyone told me it was a waste of time and a waste of Money and the YouTube channel wasn't even growing. But because you took a moment to leave me a comment or give me a like or even share a little bit about your story, it helped keep me going during the really hard times. And for those of you out there who have helped financially support this channel through PayPal donations and super chats and the applause button, I'm truly and forever grateful for that. After a long time and a lot of effort and a lot of resources, I really do feel like that this channel and these videos are out there helping you, and you're helping me to spread that message. So together, we're all helping each other, which is exactly what's kept me going on the days when it's been really hard and on days when I got really negative or nasty comments. So please know I am truly grateful. And not only are you helping me when you do these things, but you're helping other families. It's our goal to spread recovery faster than addiction is spreading. And with your help, we're making that happen. Thank you so very much. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And up next, more information on gratitude.
