This week is our national week for recognizing how thankful we are!  Thanksgiving has been celebrated since…well, officially in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln amidst the Civil War.  However, its origination started in 1621 with the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag sharing an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving Day celebrations in the colonies.

Why is it so important…especially for those of us who want to live an incredibly blessed life?  Well, let me count the ways as we indeed can express thankfulness every single day, whether Thanksgiving or not!

Blessings to us:

1. When we are thankful, we are coming from a very positive place.Thankfulness is about recognizing what “we have” not what “is missing.”  Notice how often we focus on what’s not in our life, whether love, money, job, community, or purpose or…  Perhaps you can finish the sentence with a few of your own.  Here I will even leave a few blanks for you:

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Test it out and see how it makes you feel.   I guarantee that if you shift from what you don’t have to all the many blessings you do have, watch out world!

2. Thankfulness, when communicated to other people in our lives, is a significant step forward in building relationships.It is a source of acknowledgment of another person just for something they did or said.   We sometimes view some of these actions as “expected” or just “ordinary” and fail to acknowledge them.  Really? If someone opens a door for you, pulls out your chair, grabs a menu and hands it to you, allows you to go through a door in front of them, whatever it is, no matter how little an action, express thankfulness!

Side effects:

So far all we have been focusing on is how it makes us feel when we acknowledge people and their actions in support of us, no matter how inconsequential they are.  Now, let’s take a look at the impact on others:

1. Others around you who notice your incredible acknowledgment will be impacted by your actions and, most likely, respond positively.They may be influenced to start doing the same thing as we are well known for the act of “monkey see, monkey do!”  You become a positive influencer.  When you take this on, get ready because you might shock someone!  You many never experience the incredible impact you had on that person, but so many others will!
2. You make another person smile!You bring joy in their heart, acknowledging them for their contribution no matter how slight it might be.  Bringing more joy in peoples’ lives is so rewarding, and you know the famous saying…” what goes around comes around.”  But it should be enough to see their response!  Warning:  this just might become addicting, but it does require YOU to take attention off of YOU.
3. When you acknowledge someone for such thoughtful action, guess what?You have, in effect, “rewarded them,” and they are much more likely to continue doing it or even perhaps look for other actions that might bring them the same level of acknowledgment.
4. You might make a new friend!I look at the world around me and always wonder, “why is this person in my path today?”  Is it an accident, or is it for a purpose, and if I show no level of inquisitiveness, will I ever find out?  So, acknowledging that, I love to strike up a conversation with almost anyone…only qualification is that they breathe (and maybe, not look like “Jack the ripper”)!  One of the most remarkable ways to start a conversation on a good note is by making the effort to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Join me in setting a new standard.  Every movement starts somewhere…why not HERE!