One of my favorite parts and traditions tied to the Thanksgiving holiday is being mindful of taking time to reflect on what we’re thankful for. We deliberately think through the people and experiences we’ve been blessed with and take time to acknowledge how thankful we are. But almost always this lens we use to find what we’re thankful for is always outward facing.

What if we flipped the lens of reflection inward? What if we not only invest time and energy to be thankful for the amazing Accelerators in our lives but also dedicate time to recognize internally what we’re thankful for?

It’s not uncommon for us to run from one thing to the next. We try to fit in as much in our busy schedule as possible and struggle to even recognize our hard-fought wins. How often are we taking the time to be thankful for the hard work we’ve put into making progress we’re striving for?

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to others. Keep investing time reflecting on those that have had your back, pushed you when you needed it, provided an ear when you needed someone to talk to. Give thanks to those that make you smile, help keep you accountable, and provide perspective.

Also find time to give thanks to yourself. Take time to realize the wins you’ve been stacking up, no matter how small the W is. Progress happens in inches so be thankful for each inch you’ve pushed yourself to move forward. Yes, there have been failures. Yes, there have been setbacks. It’s required on our journey but be thankful that you challenged yourself to experience failure and struggle. Through the combination of wins along with lessons learned from failures, we have a lot to thank ourselves for.

Take your step (or maybe 3 steps): first enjoy Thanksgiving with whoever you’re blessed to spend it with. Second, invest time to understand all the amazing things around us to be thankful for. Last, look within and spend time acknowledging the progress we’ve made and the thankfulness we need to give ourselves.

So many great memories of Thanksgiving which happened to be my Dad’s favorite holiday. Thankful for all you taught me Dad and know your spirit will be with us as we enjoy the day!