Are you thankful and grateful every day for the opportunities that you have?
How did Thanksgiving start? The “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims after the first harvest in the New World. It lasted for three days and was attended by Native Americans and Pilgrims.
Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a federal holiday in 1863 during the American Civil War. Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
You may not recall, but this was a very dark time in US History. The country was tearing itself apart with civil war. The future was uncertain and many had to wonder what the future would bring. Most families were impacted by the Civil War and 620,000 men died during the civil war, which was about 2% of the US population.
Yet, through all that darkness and uncertainty, Lincoln felt it was incredibility important to be thankful. Maintaining an attitude of thankfulness even in the face of incredible adversity and uncertainty.
I have to admit that, under way less adverse circumstances, I can dwell on what is not going the way I would like in my life, rather than having an attitude of thankfulness for everything that is going right. I can think of what is wrong and let that spiral me into despair. I start believing things are not going to get better and have an attitude of “poor me.”
But then, someone or something will jolt me into reality and I will have to admit that when I think about it I have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving can be the jolt that brings all of us back to reflecting and realizing how much we have to be thankful for. Reflect and think about the following questions:
- What are you most thankful for this year?
- Who are you most thankful for?
- Who did you have the biggest impact on this past year?
- Who (can be more than one) will you intentionally mentor and develop this year?
- What did you do to give back this past year?
- What will you do to give back this year?
- What is your most significant accomplishment this year?
Are you surprised at the answers to these questions? Did this become a wake-up call or were you pleasantly surprised with the answers? Our attitude often becomes one of the biggest shapers of the answers to these questions.
Take time to reflect on what to be thankful for and tell those you love what you appreciate about them.
Read on to understand the impact our attitude has on our lives and those around us.
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