Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and feeling grateful.
Today, I’m diving into ten surprising things I’m thankful for this year. These elements may not be what you’d typically consider blessings, but they have significantly impacted my entrepreneurial journey and my personal growth.
And my goal is to get you thinking about the things in your life that might surprise you, that you are thankful for this year.
Sparks of inspiration during mundane tasks
Have you ever experienced that creativity that sneaks up on you in the surprising moments and you reach for that notebook and you have to scribble it down?
Maybe it’s in the middle of the night for you or maybe it’s in the middle of a meeting, but I have loved experiencing that like never before this year and I get those sparks of inspiration all of the time.
And so often, as an entrepreneur, there are a lot of mundane tasks because a lot of us, we are solopreneurs. We work by ourselves, or maybe we have a virtual assistant, but there are a lot of mundane tasks.
But having that exciting spark of creative inspiration and something that you can do to serve your clients well or to motivate, encourage, inspire your ideal client is just exciting.
And so, I love getting those sudden inspiration and creativity moments, and I actually keep a running list of I call them harebrained ideas so I can come back to them because, obviously, you can’t implement them all at once.
But that has been something I’ve been really grateful for this year.
I’m grateful for my support system
I am grateful for the realization that I don’t have to do it all.
And I have really had to learn how to embrace delegation and teamwork.
As an entrepreneur, you cannot do it all by yourself.
And so, I have been so grateful to delegate tasks to other people that have amazing skills in different areas, whether that be my operations manager for my candle company or my podcast manager, shout out to Liz, or my amazing virtual assistant, Dinos.
It has been such a blessing to have different people on my team that can pick up where I cannot do everything myself.
Turning unexpected feedback into fuel
This might surprise you but I’m grateful for that client feedback that wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
This could come in the form of criticism or even some sharp words that really were probably meant to tear you down, but at the end of the day, it only ignites a fire in you.
If you have been following me for very long, you know I have been in sales for over 18 years now, and it is very hard to hear clients be negative about different aspects of a program or your business.
But at the end of the day, when you learn how to deal with those clients and you learn how to rise above it, it really does light a fire in you to rise above and to not let them steal your positive energy.
It also helps you appreciate the amazing clients that you love to work with.
The courage to say no
This has been a huge lesson in my life and in my business this year, but setting healthy boundaries and learning how to turn down the wrong opportunities in order to make room for the right ones.
And so, I will link the podcast episode that I did on setting healthy boundaries in your business, but that is a vital lesson that everyone must learn, not only in their business, but also in their life.
But I am so thankful that the Lord has taught me this lesson this year to set healthy boundaries and learn the courage to say no, even when you can face harsh criticism and sometimes even lose clients or lose friends because you will learn that your life and your work is so much more peaceful and you are living and fulfilling your God given purpose.
Finding motivation in small validations
The 5th thing that I am thankful for this year are those unexpected small affirmations that really fuel your motivation.
Let me pause here and say that I never want to place my identity as a sales strategist or coach or podcaster in those compliments or those affirmations.
But it is a kind motivation that people are listening and people are implementing what you are saying and that their businesses are benefiting from your experience.
Building resiliency through uncertainty
I am so thankful for those moments of doubt.
They have really led to building that inner strength and that resiliency as an entrepreneur.
And let me tell you, those moments of doubt, they come a lot as an entrepreneur because as I mentioned in a past podcast episode, 5 Things I wish someone had told me about entrepreneurship, this journey is unlike anything that I have ever experienced, and it really will take everything that you have.
So, there are a lot of moments of doubt and the imposter syndrome is very real, but it has also led me to really dig deep and trust in the Lord and lean on my faith like never before.
And perhaps that is one of the biggest gifts that I am thankful for this year is having those moments of doubt and really, dare I say, not lean on my own inner strength because it is not my strength, but the Lord’s.
Giving myself grace
The 7th thing that I’m thankful for this year is the grace to forgive myself when things didn’t go perfectly.
I am a recovering perfectionist and this has been a huge lesson for me because let’s face it, things will never go perfect.
And so, learning how to let myself be human and to give myself grace and move on and learn from my mistakes, that has been such a gift that I have given myself this year and I am so grateful.
Embracing unexpected learning opportunities
Let me tell you, in addition to giving myself grace, I have also been given grace and kindness from others when I have mis-stepped, and I have truly been humbled and been shown great kindness when others have given me feedback with the genuine motive of wanting me to succeed and out of love as a fellow entrepreneur.
And they wanted to help me be a better business owner, and those unexpected learning opportunities have been such a grace in my life this year.
It would have been very easy to turn around and be defensive and to let my pride rear its ugly head, but I took the time to learn from those experiences, and they really grew and stretched me as an entrepreneur.
And I am so grateful for those relationships that I have built and developed and for those people that gave me such kind feedback out of genuine love and desire to help me be better and to help me succeed.
It was truly one of the greatest gifts that I have received this year
Feeling grateful and joy in others’ success
Number 9 of things that might surprise you that I am extremely thankful for this year, the joy of seeing others succeed.
This is something that is the same, yet on a completely different level from my time in corporate America.
I truly loved seeing my people succeed when I was in corporate.
But as an entrepreneur, when you see your clients invest in a program that you created yourself and you see their wins and they share their excitement with you, it makes your day and it brings me such joy to be on the journey with them.
Embracing bittersweet transitions
And last but certainly not least, I am thankful for this year that surprised me is major life changes, however, bittersweet that lead you home.
So, after 22 years of living away from family, I am moving back home to be close to my dear family.
I have moved back to Arkansas and will be living within a mile of my parents, my brother, sister-in-law, and my precious, precious nephew and niece.
And I could not be more excited, but also very saddened to leave my dear community in North Carolina.
And major life changes are hard, but it’s also exciting when the Lord is leading you closer to family, especially when you have not lived in the same town with them since you left high school.
So, I am so excited to do family dinners on Friday night, to be able to hang out with my sweet niece and nephew, and just lots of fun things to look forward to.
I would appreciate your prayers as I make that transition and also say goodbye to precious community in North Carolina, but also thankful that this world is not our home and that this is only temporary goodbye.
I will leave you with this scripture today from Isaiah 12:3, and it is my prayer that my life and my work exemplifies this scripture, especially in light of this season of Thanksgiving.
Isaiah 12:3, give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, Make known his deeds among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted.
This Thanksgiving, while counting your blessings, take a moment to reflect on the unexpected ones.
These are often the experiences that challenge us, push us to grow, and ultimately shape us into better versions of ourselves.
May you go forth into the new year with a heart full of gratitude and an open mind, ready to embrace whatever unexpected blessings come your way. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’d love to hear what has made you grateful this year. You can DM on Instagram and let me know!
