I noticed my Youtube channel was feeling a little neglected so I took the camera outside and put this together. Checking in and wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Did you get enough family, friends, food and fun?
So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day
I think I found the perfect time to write this post about what I am thankful for. I just returned from producing the first “Rotary in the Valley” podcast with the host Bill Randall and first guest David Behring. Upon my return I’ve been at my computer going through Emails cleaning up my inbox. I came across a newsletter from a prior guest of my podcast Trust in Education.
This image reminded me how fortunate I am:
Yes, that young man lives on the streets and fends for himself in Kabul, Afghanistan. No doubt he lives a life that we cannot possibly fathom from where I am writing this and you are reading it right now. My house is warm and comfortable, I am sitting at a desk with a glass of clean water that came from one of many faucets, sitting in a chair that probably costs what it would take to pay for this young man to be fed and educated for at least a couple of years. I do not feel guilty for what I have but I do feel incredibly lucky to have what I have and also fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to do a little part to help people like this young man struggling to carry clothing and a bucket of rice that will help him survive.
What am I most thankful for on this day?
Of course I am most thankful for my son, wife and family. Beyond that I am most thankful to recognize how important it is to act and do things to help others. I’ve also been fortunate to have met a number of dedicated people striving to make a difference. Here are some of them, thank you all for everything you do:
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Commit to Excellence
Is there any reason you can think of to NOT make the best of every day of your life? Each conversation you have with family, friends or your spouse, work and even parenting. Today I challenged myself with that very question and I could not think of anything that stuck. I came up with excuses but I could not come up with reasons. It sounds so cliché – “Live life to the fullest” or “Carpe Diem” but you know what, those are some of the wisest words man has ever uttered.
Take an honest assessment on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 meaning horrible and 10 meaning completely dominant – how powerful would you rate your commitment to everything you do in a given day? I suspect if most people are honest with themselves it comes in well under 5, it would for me and I am at what I feel a very high level of productivity/attitude for my lifetime. Now imagine how effective you would be if you increased your commitment to everything you do in a given day 10% or 1 point on that scale. Think about your relationships with others, your children, your co-workers, your boss, or even your clients. How much of an impact would it have in those relationships if you cared more today than you did yesterday. I would be willing to theorize that for every 10% you increase that scale you would feel a very big improvement in the quality of your life, your health and the lives of people you interact with.
Today is a day that we give thanks for the bountiful harvest in our lives, much as the pilgrims and Native Americans did during a time of peace and prosperity that inspired this Thanksgiving Day ritual. For me I have an additional thing to be thankful for, awareness that I can be happier, more productive and successful in every aspect of my life by making a series of decisions to commit to excellence. Also the pride I have that these decisions will bring happiness, joy and success to the people that I care about and to people I’ve never met.