It has been a challenging year. No one needs to tell you that. The headlines have been heavy. The markets unpredictable. The culture loud and anxious. Conflicts around the world have shaken the ground under our feet. Many people are carrying more worry than they care to admit. And yet here we are again, arriving at Thanksgiving. A moment set aside to give thanks. A moment that can feel almost out of place in a season like this. And also a moment we may need now more than ever.

Gratitude is not a denial of the hard things. It is not pretending everything is fine. Gratitude is choosing what we will allow to guide our attention. Because what we focus on shapes what we see. When we dwell on what is broken, not working, or chaotic, our minds begin scanning for more of the same. The world looks darker. Options feel fewer. Possibility narrows. But when we consciously shift our gaze toward what is good, toward what is working, toward what remains beautiful and meaningful, our awareness expands. More opportunities appear; more resilience surfaces; more energy returns.

It works the same way your mind suddenly notices the specific car you’ve been thinking about buying. You didn’t summon hundreds of new cars onto the road. You just activated your attention. Gratitude works on the same principle. It heightens your ability to see what has been there all along: the people who show up, the moments of peace, the small wins, the unexpected kindness, the simple pleasures, the new sparks of creativity, the foundations that remain steady even when other things shake.

And here is the real gift: gratitude doesn’t just make you feel better. It makes you more effective. Leaders who cultivate grateful awareness tend to make clearer decisions. They are more grounded under pressure; they connect better, listen better, collaborate better. They have access to more creative problem-solving because their attention is not hijacked by fear or scarcity. Gratitude creates inner space. And from that space, new ideas, new solutions, and new pathways begin to emerge.

This doesn’t mean ignoring pain, uncertainty, or loss. It means letting gratitude act as a counterweight. A stabilizer. A way of remembering that there is always more happening than whatever crisis happens to be loudest today. Gratitude softens the edges and opens the door to perspective. It helps us see beyond the narrow tunnel of worry and into a wider horizon where possibility still lives.

And this is the deeper truth: gratitude turns us toward the future. When we practice gratitude, even for small things, we are signaling to ourselves that there is still something worth investing in. Still something worth hoping for. Still something unfolding. Gratitude keeps us open. And in that openness, new possibilities begin to take shape—possibilities far beyond what we could imagine when we’re locked in fear or contraction.

So as we enter this holiday, take a moment. Breathe deeply. Notice something good. Something simple. Something that reminds you that life still offers beauty, connection, meaning, and possibility. Let that awareness be an anchor for you in the days ahead.

I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving.