Every year around this time, it’s mentioned everywhere.
It’s passed across the dinner table to loved ones. It’s plastered on every coffee shop window and grocery store aisle. It’s written on the orange and red napkins tucked under your sweet potato pie.
Thanksgiving makes gratitude go viral for a week every year.
Which is lovely, truly.
For the briefest moments, so many of us witness the power of giving and receiving gratitude. It brings a sense of warmth and awe into the season, leaving spirits high and everything a little more magical. 🪄
But too often, no less than 24 hours later, Black Friday mode kicks in and the holiday rush sweeps up gratitude like it’s forgotten confetti on the floor.
Here’s what we’re getting wrong:
Gratitude isn’t a holiday habit.
It isn't a seasonal social media post. It isn't a once-a-year performance of appreciation.
It's a practice. A daily commitment. A radical act of leadership that can transform everything you touch.
And it dramatically changed my life.
I spent years chasing success, graduating from Harvard Law, and landing a role at a prestigious corporate firm only to walk away from it all.
From the outside, it looked like I was living the dream. An impressive title. A salary that let me live a comfortable life. But the more milestones I checked off, the harder it was to find any sliver of fulfillment in my role.
That could have been a realization that devastated me.
Instead, I turned to gratitude.
Not a forced gratitude for what I *should* appreciate, but a realistic, deeply aware practice of finding the good even in seasons of what felt like professional and personal turmoil.
When I shifted my focus to feeling gracious, I began to:
Appreciate my journey. Every setback became a well-earned lesson that drove me forward.
Recognize small wins. I let honest conversations and moments of genuine human interaction reignite my passions and clear a path forward in my career.
Redefine success. I recognized that my worth was never defined by my title, but by my ability to help others feel valued and discover alignment within their version of success.
Eventually, my appreciation became so wildly persistent that I was no longer searching for moments to feel thankful for—I was creating them.
And you can, too.
Thanksgiving offers a beautiful reminder for us all. But that profound, pivotal, life-changing type of gratitude?
That's a choice you make every. single. day.
So harness that holiday spirit and use it to fuel this new era of radical gratitude.
Why not take your first step right now?
