Make "Thanksgiving" All Year...

Thanksgiving has been my favorite Holiday ever since I was a kid. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Connecticut in 1963, leaving four grandparents, five aunts, six uncles and 22 cousins 1,000 miles away. My six younger brothers and sisters and I grew up seeing my extended family very infrequently except for one constant...

For 16 years after we moved, our maternal grandparents (Grandma and Boppy) would come to Connecticut to visit every Thanksgiving (and often Memorial Day too) - all seven of us would look forward to it. Thanksgiving was our annual extended family celebration! We would play cards (Gin Rummy) with Boppy, watch football (our Green Bay Packers used to be the Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day opponent back then), and, of course, enjoy the 20+ pound turkey mom and grandma would make with all the fixings. We lost Boppy in January, 1980 but he was here for Thanksgiving two months earlier. Those were special times and I still think about them frequently, especially this time of year.

My best Thanksgiving ever, though, was 1977. The night before, my wonderful wife, Nancy said "YES"! Here we are 37 years later, with two awesome sons and I will forever be filled with Thanksgiving for having them all in my life - they are truly blessings, not only to me but to the countless lives they have all touched...

Thanksgiving is another word for "Gratitude", which is something I practice as a habit and talk about in daily life and in everything I do professionally. Life will always have its trials and tribulations and the world outside tends to emphasize all of them much too often... Know that the ability to practice Gratitude (which is our choice), is THE way to overpower the many negative feelings that we tend to dwell upon: not eliminate them, but put them in perspective. Practicing Gratitude is THE key to achieving and maintaining a Positive Mindset, which is the Foundation of a Happy and Successful life. One cannot feel success for any extended period of time without happiness...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Practice Gratitude every day and make it a habit. Encourage others (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) to practice Gratitude with you - make it a 30 day "challenge"! Look for the good in others and show them appreciation and encouragement - you will feel absolutely awesome doing it (I'll bet you already know that from experience). Keep a Gratitude Journal. Send a card. Make a phone call. Consciously make an effort to stop criticizing, judging, blaming, and complaining (nobody likes being on the receiving end)... Do this for a month and I know without a doubt that you will love it. You and those you "challenge" WILL change the world one life at a time. Make "Thanksgiving" all year...

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

ABOUT CHIP:

Chip, the Happiness and Success GPS, is a speaker, trainer, facilitator, consultant and NETWORKING EXPERT. Everything I do is customized for the group or business I that am working with so let's brainstorm - call me anytime at 860-673-4006 - coffee's on me!