As a small business owner, you wear so many hats—sometimes, it’s hard to see your true strengths and what makes you shine when you’re caught up in the daily grind. When this post goes live, it’ll be Thanksgiving here in the United States, my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is about gratitude—being thankful for what we have and who we are. This year, I want to honor you: the entrepreneur, the risk-taker, the one who works so hard to make things happen.
Today, we will celebrate you and the gifts you bring to your clients, your community, and your business. Honoring what brings you joy and makes your heart shine. On this day of thanks, let’s celebrate you and what makes you shine.
Remembering My Uncle Jim
As I mentioned, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Once, during an icebreaker, I was asked what my favorite meal was. This was a question I did not need to think about for a second, I blurted out my Uncle Jim’s Thanksgiving feast.
Jim would create the most delicious meal for all of us, blessed to grace his table.
Thanksgiving always brings back memories of my Uncle Jim. He made Thanksgiving shine for our family by creating the most amazing feast, year after year. Cooking was his way of bringing people together, his way of showing love and care. He had a gift and didn’t hesitate to share it with everyone around him.
All the efforts in the kitchen came along with a smile and laughter. Without a doubt, feeding all of us made Jim shine. Writing these words brought tears to my eyes as I outlined this post.
There will always be a special place in my heart for this memory. Each Thanksgiving, we gather together, all attempting to recreate the beautiful feast Jim once provided for us. While we still have smiles and laughter. We miss the wonderful man I called my Uncle, and I pray for him and all the others I miss dearly.
I remember Jim telling us year after year about his dream of opening a restaurant to share his love for food. He did this! He built the restaurant himself around a brick pizza oven. He built this structure while working full-time. The restaurant was beautiful, with big windows allowing you to enjoy the landscape. He was proud to take us on tours to show his progress as he built it. His restaurant sits just outside town on his family’s land, nestled into the bottom of a bluff covered with trees and foliage.
He brought his dream to life and left his 9 to 5—making our community better and brighter.
I’m thankful Jim was able to bless many with his culinary skills and warm personality. He welcomed everyone to the table, and many times, we gathered together around a table, giving thanks for our blessings.
Do You Take Time to Recognize What Makes You Shine?
When was the last time you stepped back to recognize your unique strengths? So often, we’re focused on what isn’t working or what needs fixing. But today, I want you to focus on what is working.
Appreciate all the uniqueness that you bring to each aspect of your life. Pause to celebrate what makes you shine.
If not, I’d like for you to do this. Spend time learning the unique qualities, knowledge, skills, and experience you bring to others in your life and business.
Celebrate Without Judgement
What are your God-given talents? Please do this without judgment. I get it; we can see your flaws easily. Today, I want you to look for what makes the light shine on you as an entrepreneur.
Do this from the place of understanding there are no “good” or “bad” qualities, only who you are.
Think from your heart: Where do you sparkle all over people because you truly understand your value?
Your Path is Unique
Here is good news for you. Your entrepreneurial path is unique—no one else has had your experiences, faced your challenges, or discovered your solutions. And that means no one else can offer exactly what you do. It could be how you connect with people, the passion you bring to your work, or the attention to detail that makes your services exceptional. These strengths are not small—they are exactly what someone out there needs.
Book A 1-Hour Virtual Session
Discover the Secret to Effortless Content Creation –
From Overwhelmed to Thriving: Your Content Creation Simplified Journey Starts Here!
Embrace your uniqueness
What makes you different from everyone else is your knowledge, interest, relationships you create, and what makes you smile.
Are you courageous enough to celebrate who you are without the “but” that quickly follows our greater qualities?
You know what I’m talking about, that “but” you put behind the thing you shine at doing.
Whatever makes you shine, take time to celebrate it. Find ways to appreciate all that makes you unique, and be grateful for all the ways you make a difference in your clients' lives. Celebrate your strengths, and let them shine through.
Please DM on Instagram with what makes you shine as a business owner.
If you like this post, be sure to read Be Your Own Cheerleader!
Thank you for your time! I appreciate you, and I hope you have a wonderful week.
