If you are anything like me the Wednesday before Thanksgiving does not always feel peaceful.
The fridge is full, your calendar is full, your sink is full, and your brain is dangerously close to full. Between travel plans, grocery runs, and family dynamics, it can feel easier to react than to reflect.
Which is exactly why I want to talk about gratitude.
Not performative, social media gratitude. Not the once a year “go around the table and say what you are thankful for” ritual that everyone rushes through so they can get to the rolls.
I am talking about gratitude as a daily practice. A mindset. A leadership skill. A way of moving through the world that helps you:
- Shift from scarcity to abundance
- Stay more positive and grounded in busy seasons
- Strengthen your relationships at home and at work
Gratitude will not magically cancel hard things. But it will change how you carry them.
Scarcity Brain vs Abundance Mindset
Let us be honest. Scarcity is loud.
Scarcity says:
- There is not enough time.
- I am behind.
- Everyone else has it more together than I do.
- I should be doing more.
Abundance does not say everything is perfect. Abundance says:
- There is something good here, even if today is heavy.
- I have people, skills, and opportunities that matter.
- I can choose what I focus on.
Gratitude is one of the fastest ways to move from scarcity brain to an abundance mindset.
You start to see:
- What is present instead of only what is missing
- Progress instead of only pressure
- People who support you instead of only problems to solve
This is not just “feel good” talk. Research has shown that consistent gratitude practices are linked to better sleep, less stress, stronger relationships, and more resilience. Gratitude is good for your brain, your body, your leadership, and your home.
And in our family, we literally keep gratitude on the wall.
Our Thankful Board: A Visual Anchor In The Mudroom
Right in our mudroom, by the door we use the most, hangs what we call our Thankful Board.
It is not fancy. There are no matching frames and no one has staged it for Instagram. It is layered with:
- Photos of people we love
- Ticket stubs from games, concerts, and trips
- Quotes that meant something in a particular season
- Little notes or pieces of memorabilia from moments that made us laugh, cry, or grow
Every year we add to it.
When the kids were younger it might be a picture from a school event or a tournament. Now it might be a snapshot of our grandson, a boarding pass from a trip, or a card from someone who showed up at just the right time.
We walk past that board every time we leave the house and every time we come home.
Most days we do not stop and give a speech. It works quietly in the background.
- On a stressful morning, a picture of us laughing at a soccer game catches your eye.
- After a long day, you see a quote that reminds you what really matters.
- In the middle of ordinary chaos, you see faces of people you love and remember how much goodness has already happened.
That board pulls our focus back to abundance. It reminds us that even in the hardest years there were bright spots. There were people, experiences, and little miracles woven in.
You can create your own version at home or at work. A board. A wall. A door. A space where you collect visual reminders of what you are thankful for.
It does not have to be pretty. It has to be real.
On Some Days, Gratitude Is Big. On Other Days, It Is Breath.
I also want to name this clearly. Some days gratitude feels easy. Other days it feels like work.
There are seasons when you can list ten things you are thankful for before you finish your coffee. Work is meaningful. Your people are healthy. Your schedule is full, but in a good way.
And there are days when all you have is this:
- I am thankful I am breathing.
- I am thankful for the smile from the barista when she handed me my coffee.
- I am thankful my car started.
That counts.
Gratitude is not a competition. It is not graded. On the hardest days, the smallest gratitude is sometimes the most powerful.
If you are walking through a heavy season right now, give yourself permission to start small.
Ask yourself:
“What is one thing, right now, that I can be grateful for?”
One moment. One person. One simple thing. That is enough.
Three Simple Ways To Put Gratitude In Motion
I am a big believer in turning ideas into action, so let us make this practical. Here are three simple gratitude practices you can use this season with your family, your team, or just for yourself.
1. Take A Gratitude Walk
This can be around the block, through your office hallway, or in your backyard while the turkey is in the oven.
As you walk, name things you are grateful for. Out loud or in your mind.
Start with what you see:
- I am grateful for the sunshine.
- I am grateful for this neighborhood.
- I am grateful for the ability to move my body.
If you walk with your family, partner, or a friend, take turns. One person shares one thing, then the next person. It becomes a rhythm and you often end up laughing or remembering things you had not thought about in a while.
Leadership twist: walking into a big meeting? Take a 60 second “gratitude walk” down the hallway and mentally list three things you appreciate about your team before you start.
2. Start A Gratitude Log
You do not need a fancy journal. Use whatever you already have:
- A notebook
- The notes app on your phone
- A sticky note on your desk
Write down three things you are grateful for each day.
Three. Not thirty.
They can be big things like “My job allows me to provide for my family” or tiny things like “I had exactly enough creamer for my coffee.”
Over time, you literally retrain your brain to scan for what is working, instead of only what is broken.
Leadership twist: open your weekly team meeting with a quick round of “one thing I am grateful for this week.” It changes the tone of the entire meeting.
3. Create Your Own Thankful Board (Or Jar, Or Wall)
If you are a visual person, this one can be fun and meaningful.
At home:
- Create a Thankful Board in a hallway, mudroom, or kitchen.
- Add photos, ticket stubs, notes, kid drawings, and little reminders of people and moments you want to remember.
At work:
- Start a “wins and gratitude” board in a breakroom or shared space.
- Pin up client thank you notes, team shout outs, project wins, and moments you want to celebrate.
You can also keep a Gratitude Jar. Every time something good happens, write it on a slip of paper and drop it in. At the end of the year, or even at the end of a tough quarter, read through them.
For kids and teens, this is a powerful way to teach gratitude without a lecture. They get to see their year in little snapshots of thanks.
Gratitude As A Leadership Tool And A Legacy
Gratitude is not soft skills fluff. It is leadership in action.
When you practice gratitude at work:
- People feel seen instead of invisible.
- Wins get noticed, not just mistakes.
- Teams become more resilient because they can see progress even in hard seasons.
When you practice gratitude at home:
- Your kids learn that life will not always be easy, but they can always look for what is good.
- Your family learns to celebrate small moments, not just big milestones.
When you practice gratitude privately:
- You stay grounded in who you are and what matters most.
- You move through busy seasons with a little more peace.
- You give your nervous system a break from constant stress scanning.
Gratitude is a gift you give yourself, your team, and your family. And it is one you can start today without spending a dime or waiting for the “perfect” time.
Your Gratitude Invitation This Week
As you head into Thanksgiving, here is my invitation:
- Choose one gratitude practice for the next 30 days. A walk, a log, a board, a jar. Keep it simple and doable.
- Speak your gratitude out loud to at least one person each day. A partner, a child, a coworker, a friend.
- Notice the small things. The breath in your lungs, the smile from the barista, the quiet moment in your car before you walk inside, the text that made you laugh.
If you want to go a little deeper with this, I recorded a companion podcast episode all about gratitude, our Thankful Board, and how to use gratitude as a tool for leadership and life. You can listen while you cook, travel, or take that gratitude walk.
And if this landed with you, I would love to hear from you. Hit reply and tell me three things you are grateful for today. I read every message.
Gratitude does not deny the hard. It simply refuses to hand it the microphone all day.
I am grateful you are here, doing the work, and leading with spark.
