The Tiger Woods Car Crash Reveals an Uncomfortable Truth About Gratitude

Tiger Woods’ impact on golf can’t be overstated. Grass roots participation skyrocketed. Courses were built. Equipment sales boomed.

At the professional level, the prize money is now significantly higher, the average player more athletic.  

Like Colin Morikawa, who just became the only player besides Tiger to have won a major championship and a World Golf Championship (WGC) event before the age of 25.

As with many current players (Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, to name a few) Tiger was a source of inspiration to Morikawa as he grew up. 

And like all current players, Morikawa is a beneficiary of the attention — and money — Woods brought to golf.

So when Morikawa was interviewed just after winning a WGC tournament in Florida on Sunday, he took the time to thank Woods.

“Tiger means everything to me,” Morikawa said. “Yes, he had the crash and thankfully he’s all right, and hopefully he has a great and quick recovery… but I don’t think we say thank you enough.”

Morikawa then turned to look directly at the camera. 

“So I want to say thank you to Tiger,” he said, as he wiped away a tear. “Because sometimes you lose people too early. Kobe. I lost my grandpa about a month ago. You don’t get to say thank you enough. So, thank you guys.”

Sincere. Heartfelt. Genuine.

And a perfect example of the power of gratitude.

As Inc. colleague Justin Bariso writes, “All humans crave acknowledgment and appreciation. By sharing specifically what you appreciate, you inspire them to be the best version of themselves.”

And, you let them know just how much they mean to you.

If someone made a difference in your life, don’t wait. Tell them — especially if you think you someday might regret never having done so.

But don’t stop there. Plenty of people you deserve recognition. Family, friends, casual acquaintances. Employees, customers, suppliers.

Maybe someone did something huge. Maybe someone did something small. Maybe someone regularly waves, smiles, and brightens your day.

Say thanks. Say something kind. Say something nice.  The effort will be worth it, because we all love to hear that we made a difference, however small, in another person’s life. 

Just like we all love to know that we made a difference, however small, by saying thank you to someone deserving.