Holding Ambition and Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Leadership Reflection

Each year around Thanksgiving, our team at Leadership Vision takes a few intentional moments to reflect on gratitude — not simply as a holiday tradition, but as a leadership practice. What began as a simple blog post years ago has become an ongoing podcast tradition, in which Brian, Linda, and I share something meaningful that has shaped our reflections during this season.

This year on The Leadership Vision Podcast, it’s just me — Nathan Freeburg — offering a moment of reflection sparked by something I recently read from author James Clear, best known for his book Atomic Habits. In his email newsletter sent on October 23, Clear wrote a simple line that struck me:

“Each day, spend some time on two things—working toward something that will pay off years from now, and appreciating something that is happening right now.”

There’s something powerful about the balance those two ideas invite us to hold — long-term ambition in one hand and present gratitude in the other.

Long-Term Vision Meets Present Appreciation

When I first read Clear’s line, the image that came to mind was… my Roth IRA. Not exactly the most inspirational Thanksgiving topic. But stay with me…

I started that retirement account over twenty years ago. It auto-pulls a small amount every month, quietly compounding in the background. I rarely think about it. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t make a great story at a dinner party.

But its quiet consistency is doing something important: shaping a future reality through small, steady commitments today.

Leadership is often the same way. So is parenting. Health. Relationships. Creativity. Personal growth. Any meaningful dream you’re chasing.

Many of the things that matter most require slow, cumulative investment. Habits, if you will. They often demand sacrifice, patience, or discipline in the present for rewards we may not fully appreciate until years from now.

And yet we also need the opposite — the ability to notice and appreciate what is already unfolding in front of us.

“Big dreams grow out of ordinary moments, repeated over time.”

A Lesson From Unfolded and the Story of OC

This tension between where we’re headed and where we are reminded me of Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane, the award-winning book written by Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring.

In the story, OC, the origami crane, dreams of flying. It’s a big dream, an audacious dream — one that feels impossible at first. But her transformation doesn’t happen through one dramatic moment. It happens in daily, imperfect, playful practice:

• She tries.
• She fails.
• She adjusts.
• She tries again.

Her dream lies ahead of her, but her growth lies in the small steps she takes every day.

Leaders often live in this exact tension. We have ambitions — for our teams, families, organizations, and selves. But those dreams depend on a thousand small investments: the relationships we nurture, the conversations we have, the habits we shape, and the moments we choose to be present.

Thanksgiving is a chance to notice those moments again.

A Thanksgiving Reflection for Leaders

As we enter Thanksgiving week, I want to offer a simple challenge:

Take time to notice what is quietly unfolding in your life — the things you’re grateful for right now, and the things you’re steadily building for your future.

Write them down. Share them with someone you trust. Talk about them around the table. Share them with us! Mention them to your team.

Because when leaders cultivate both gratitude and aspiration, something powerful happens:

• We stay grounded.
• We stay hopeful.
• We stay connected to what matters.
• And we’re far more likely to arrive where we want to go.

Maybe gratitude isn’t only about the past or future. Perhaps it’s the gentle awareness that both are happening at once — in this moment, in this season, in this wild and beautiful work of becoming who we are meant to be.

Thank you for being part of this community and for listening to The Leadership Vision Podcast, where we help you build positive team culture. Wherever this holiday finds you — cooking, traveling, resting, or somewhere in between — I hope you pause long enough to notice what’s already unfolding.