Grateful For The Unexpected Teachers of 2025

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  It’s the one time of year where everything slows down just enough for us to actually be present.

No presents. No pressure.

Just the comfort of people we love gathered around a table, sharing food, laughing at stories we’ve told for decades, and holding onto traditions. And personally, I will never stop our family tradition of picking random questions out of a ‘hat” so we are forced to share memories and gratitude and safely share our most chaotic or crazy personal moments; purely for the entertainment of everyone else.

And each year, it’s my role at Butler Street to write our Thanksgiving blog. It’s a responsibility I truly cherish because it gives me a moment to pause and to really think about what matters, what changed me, and what I’m grateful for… even when I didn’t feel grateful at the time.

This year, like every year, I found myself appreciating the lessons I didn’t ask for. The teachers I wasn’t excited about, but who showed up anyway and left me better because of it.

1. The Economy was one of those teachers.

It kept shifting, throwing unpredictable signals at us. But it sharpened my decision-making and reminded me how resilient we really are when we stop hoping for calm and start navigating the storm. This slow recovery forced us to examine every part of how we operate: who we serve, what we offer, how we message, and where we spend our time. It reminded us of the clear difference between being busy and being effective. We became more targeted and more connected to what truly drives results, for ourselves and for our clients. I’m grateful for the discipline that came out of the economic discomfort.

2. The “AI” frenzy

I didn’t ask for the urgency to learn this skill or to have my workflow disrupted by constant change, but it was. I’ve had to learn, adapt, and rewire my thinking.  In the end? I’m better for it. So is our team. And so are our clients. We’ve made a commitment to learning and changing and updating our training and consulting advice as often as necessary to bring AI fluency to our clients for their improved performance. What seemed like a lot of work turned into a lot of work for our company! So, yes, bring on the AI!

3. The Election-year noise was another.

Not the politics, just the noise. The distraction. It pushed me to be more intentional about what I give my attention to and what I don’t give my attention to. That one shift alone made an enormous difference in how I started and ended each day!

4. Rising costs joins the list this year.

Everywhere you turned, things felt more expensive. From eggs, to gasoline, to software, to conferences and people. But that constraint brought clarity and discipline. It forced us to operate with purpose and to put our energy into what matters most and to where the highest ROI sits.

5. The “No.”

Whether it was a prospect, a client, family member or a friend, those people who said “no” to me, gave me pause. They made me rethink how I communicate value, how I prioritize my time, and how I stay true to (and fight for) only what matters. Turns out, “no” can be one of the clearest gifts of all.

6. The “Yes”.

I’m grateful for the opportunity I almost said no to because it felt too big, too new, too risky. But I said yes. And that yes stretched me into someone more confident, more capable, and more energized than I expected. Growth never comes wrapped in comfort. This year, I said yes to attend a week-long event that was 100% focused on personal growth. It wasn’t easy to step away from work and family and choose this over a beach vacation, but I am grateful I said “yes”. I will never be sorry about that! What did you say “Yes” to, when “No” was the easier path, that led to your growth this year?

7. The “Do More with Less”

With rising costs, economic uncertainty and AI, many times our customers and clients have taken the approach of doing more with less. I am grateful that we could accomplish the “do more” without having to give up or go to “less”. We found a way to “Do more with the same” for both our business and our clients’ business. You can’t cut your way to growth, but you can grow faster and more efficiently. And our AI approach brought that to a reality!

And through all of this, one thing has stayed steady:

Our gratitude for our clients and their people. We are so thankful for the opportunity to serve them, to help them grow, to support their journey, learn from them and to play even a small part in their success. That trust is something we never take lightly.

So, as I look back on 2025, I’m grateful for the obvious blessings; my family, the laughter, the food, the traditions that keep building memories. But I’m also grateful for the things I resisted. The things that stretched me. The things that shaped me in ways I didn’t expect.

Because those are the teachers that stay with us.

They soften us where we are rigid.

They strengthen us where we are unsure.

And they remind us that growth rarely feels good in the moment— but it always leaves us better than it found us.

And maybe that’s the real heart of Thanksgiving:

Being grateful not just for what filled us up,

but for what grew us.