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365 Ways to Start Over: Day #42 – 10 Ways to Give Thanks
Life presents so many reminders of what we may appreciate. But often these cues are lost in the “get” messages from our culture: “get more,” “get thin,” “get happy,” “get in shape,” “get new (you name it).” Consider the suggestions below as a way to slow yourself down to realize how much you have to appreciate.
10 Ways to Give Thanks:
1.) Write a gratitude letter to a mentor, family member, or someone important whom you have not properly thanked.
2.) Keep a Gratitude Journal with a list of things for which you are thankful.
3.) Keep a Gratitude Box where you collect cards, letters and other keepsakes you collect throughout the year from people you appreciate.
4.) Create a Family Journal that is brought out at every Thanksgiving dinner whereby each family member writes what they are thankful for.
5.) Put every family member’s name in a hat at the Thanksgiving table. Each person pulls a name and gives a specific reason why they are thankful for that person.
6.) Do something special for a homeless shelter, battered women’s shelter, convalescent home or other charity and include a special note as to why you care about them.
7.) Gather toys, clothes, and home furnishings to take to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, or thrift store.
8.) Drop a handwritten note of thanks to your coworkers.
9.) Take the time to chat with a veteran about his or her experience.
10.) Cook a meal or deliver baked goods to your local fire department or police department for Thanksgiving.
May today there be peace within you today. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.
Let go of what holds you back. Embrace what propels you forward. And do one new thing today. Start now!
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Mary Lee Gannon is the president of StartingOverNow.com and Gannon Group – a full service coaching and consulting firm that creates productivity solutions for people and organizations who are “stuck” in transition. Individual clients are addressing: Life transition, Divorce, Life Purpose, Five & Ten Year Plans, Career Change, Relationship Shift, Loss, Empty Nest, and Work Life Balance. Corporate client services include: Strategic Planning, Public Relations – Brand Positioning, Cultural Accountability, Meeting Facilitation, Vision Creation, Strategy Execution, Stress and Time Management, and Negotiations. Mary Lee’s personal turnaround came as a stay-at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old, who endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club life to public assistance from where within a short time she worked to the level of CEO. Her book “Starting Over – 25 Rules for When You’ve Bottomed Out” is available in bookstores or at Amazon. Get her FREE ebook – “Grow Productivity – A Leader’s Toolbox” on her web site at www.StartingOverNow.com.
