How to Walk in Faith and Thankfulness as a Business Owner During the Thanksgiving Season

By: Kathleen Ries-Jubenville   |    Read time: 4 minutes

In the last couple of months of the year, business owners typically start thinking about their goals for the upcoming year. Entrepreneurs tend to be forward-thinkers, so we create new initiatives and expectations before we have completed the most important step. We need to review last year's performance first! And what better time than Thanksgiving to celebrate our successes, learn from our challenges, and feel gratitude for our journey?

To complete your "year in review", you will need your calendar, a notepad or journal, and your computer.

Start with your January calendar and look for all the highlights in your life during the month. Look for business achievements, personal development, family vacations, and any other event that made an impact and created a memory. Also, record the challenges you experienced...a medical concern, a problem with a client, or a financial bump in the road. Write the month, then write down your highlights and challenges. Leave a couple of lines after each event to add some details later. Do this for every month of the year.

Then, go back to each item and briefly write the lesson you learned from each one. Did you acquire your biggest client ever? How did you do it? Did you take a trip to Disney with the kids? What did that mean to you? Or maybe your spouse had surgery and you were a caregiver for a while. How did you juggle everything? These are just a few ideas. The main purpose is to recognize your growth and celebrate your perseverance; to view all the moments in your life as opportunities to gain wisdom and serve others while maturing into all God created you to be!

"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." - James 1:4-6 NIV

Now, I want you to plant your lessons from the past year into your heart and set your vision for the new year. Do not skip this step! This quick process will increase your gratitude and amplify your momentum.

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1. Go someplace alone that is quiet and comfortable, where you will not be interrupted for 10-15 minutes.

2. Put both hands over your heart.

3. Take 6 deep breaths and relax.

4. Visualize something or someone you are grateful for. It can be from anytime in your past, perhaps the birth of a child or a mentor who believes in you. Take your time and feel your gratitude.

5. Visualize something you are proud of. Anything from your past when you achieved something that you earned. Take your time and feel how proud you are for the effort you put into that accomplishment.

6. Visualize a fortunate circumstance that felt like an amazing coincidence. Perhaps you believe it was God at work to bring things together for you in a surprising way. Take your time and feel how thankful you are for God's grace and guidance in your life.

7. Now, visualize a victory in your future! What can you accomplish with gratitude, effort, and faith on your side? Feel the success. Who is proud of you? How much have you given of yourself to achieve it? What does success look like and sound like? How are you celebrating?

How do you feel now? More at peace? More confident? Ready to crush your goals?!?

You can do this quick exercise anytime you are feeling anxious, full of self-doubt, or lack of clarity. You don't have to wait for year-end for this one. Enjoy!

Bonus idea: Turn your personal and family highlights into a holiday newsletter to send out to family and friends. I've been doing this since 2008 and enjoy documenting our wonderful memories. Be sure to include pictures to be amazed at how fast the kids grow up!

Credit: I learned the 7-step process above from the inspirational Nick Santonastasso. Check him out on YouTube for more ways to experience gratitude this Thanksgiving season!