Hey. Thanks!

It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States.

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to “be thankful” for what we have.

Depending on how you look at it, we either have a lot to be thankful for, or notsomuch, or somewhere in between. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary, and I’m not here to tell you how you “should” feel. These are, to say the least, strange and stressful times for everyone.

And I’m not really a fan of traditional gratitude practices. I know, I know, there are entire businesses built around gratitude, endless apps for your phone, and, yes, research showing that gratitude is good for you.

Like so many things, what’s good for you in certain applications can be harmful in others. I’ve seen – and experienced – too many instances where formal gratitude practice leads to resentment and feeling that one “should” be glad for what one has and therefore not want more.

Baloney. (Insert your preferred expletive there.) Not wanting more is complacency – numbness – the end of growth. We all do want more, even if we don’t always admit it.

(Please note that by “more” I don’t mean more STUFF. Unless, of course, you need more stuff! No, I mean … more satisfaction, more fun, more pleasure, more joy, more meaning, more YOU being YOU.)

So, again, your mileage may vary. You may not agree with what I’m saying, and that’s just fine. But here’s my perspective.

• I’m glad about what I have.
• I’m grateful to myself for my efforts in creating the good things in my life. I’m also aware that I am responsible for some (NOT ALL – let’s not go all negative Law of Attraction here) of the not-so-good things in my life.
• And I’m grateful for that awareness and for knowing I can create change.
• I’m thankful to the people in my life who support me.

Thus we come around to Thanksgiving.

So my suggestion is that this year, in addition to (or instead of?) whatever gratitude practice or family tradition you may have, think about who in your life you should say “Thank you!” to.

And then do it. Whether in an email, a phone call, an e-card (I’m a big fan of Jacquie Lawson’s delightful animated cards), a text message, a snail-mail card – whatever it is – tell someone “Thank you.”

Don’t forget to tell them why you’re saying “Thank you.” Because the why is important.

And you know what? You could tell yourself “Thank you!” as well, for all the things you’ve done to stay upright and at least reasonably functional this year.

Hey. Thank you for reading!