Gratitude + Growth: What You Should Appreciate About Your Year

What you think about you bring about

Author

Faith Rivera
December 17, 2025

Gratitude is more than a warm feeling—it’s a strategy. Neuroscience tells us that gratitude rewires the brain, increases resilience, boosts productivity, and improves emotional regulation. Spiritually, gratitude grounds us in truth. And as leaders, gratitude aligns us with purpose.

But the holiday season often becomes a blur of tasks, deadlines, family commitments, and “finish strong” pressures. This month, instead of rushing through December, consider this an invitation to slow down and look back at the year through a lens of appreciation—not performance.

Start by recognizing your growth, not just your achievements. We often celebrate outcomes but forget to celebrate the unseen things: the boundaries you held, the risks you took, the clarity you gained, the healing you started, the courage you showed when no one was watching.

Take a moment to ask yourself:

  • Where did I show up for myself this year?

  • What challenges strengthened me?

  • Who poured into me—and who did I pour into?

  • What small wins deserve recognition?

  • What did I learn about my leadership, my energy, and my purpose?

Gratitude shifts us out of scarcity and into abundance. It helps us see our year not as “not enough,” but as a series of intentional steps that brought us exactly where we needed to be. That shift fuels something powerful as we move toward a new year: momentum that is grounded, steady, and aligned.

When you practice gratitude intentionally, you’re not ignoring the hard things—you’re reframing them. You’re choosing to see how they shaped you, protected you, or redirected you. Gratitude gives purpose to the pain, context to the lessons, and meaning to the victories.

So before you start planning for 2026, take a moment to pause and honor 2025. Let gratitude expand your heart, anchor your leadership, and remind you that you are already becoming who you’re meant to be. What are you most grateful for as we wrap up 2025?

I am grateful for each of you that have allowed me on your journey alongside you this year! Please share any insights or what has helped you from this newsletter throughout the year.

Just a reminder that prices are raising in 2026 for the following services/items: