It’s early in the morning the house is still asleep, except for one of my darling cat that has come in from the rain to warm himself in my lap. The smell of this years Turkey is already starting to fill the house. Except for Maylan (the cat) and our newest animal addition, Shotzi (our Schnauzer) – I am alone with my thoughts and now you as you read this blog post. While I always have a grateful attitude towards all I have been able to accomplish and all I know I am about to accomplish, recently however, my thanks has caused a swelling in my heart and my mind that I find a bit unbelievable – perhaps this has been spurred on by the recent birth of my grand daughter Kyli or the loss of a friend in a recent car accident or my daughters fellow cheerleaders who were in that same accident – some of which are still fighting for their lives…. or by the show of support at the recent All Star Challenge Cheer Competition where teams from around the country showed their support and gave $10,000 to the families in their time of need.

Whatever the motivation, It is the quiet serene moments like this that provide the opportune time look back at what has happened, look at today at what IS happening and out into tomorrow at what allegra\\\’s generic I want to happen. Some time ago, I was sitting in my office looking around being thankful for the opportunity to work with such great people and give back. I called my daughter up JUST to tell her how much I love her – another thing I am thankful for. When I got home that night I gave my wife extra hugs and kisses – yes another thing I am thankful for. Recently, I was online with a few of my favorite people – people like you that I have met and learned from via social media and other online interactions. All these things big and small are things that I give thanks for on a regular basis.

To this day I do not know what prompted that original swelling moment of deep gratitude – but I have remained just as grateful ever since. This extra level of thankfulness has further improved my attitude, and helped me keep things in perspective as those bumps in the road come along.

Through all of this reflecting back, and visualizing forward I am EVER grateful for all that I have, have had and will have. I would urge you to do the same. Pausing for a moment to reground yourself by truly acknowledging what you have, not matter how small, will do wonders for your attitude as well as your outlook.

I wrote the following article on a Thanksgiving Day back in 2005 in the hopes of sharing this attitude of gratitude with those that might find it interesting– it still holds true today. Whether you do or do not celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving I would urge you to start making every day a day of giving thanks.

When I joined the US Army back in the early eighties they taught me a number of survival skills. I learned to live off the land, navigate that land with just a compass, where to find water, where to find food and more. I learned to jump from airplanes and traverse terrain like a Billie-goat. But even the US Army, with all their robust survival training did not teach me what I have come to realize is in fact a real survival skill – thankfulness.

In all the books I have read on personal development, as well as all the seminars, DVDs, studies, journals etc I have found a unifying thought on thankfulness: “Be thankful for everything you have, while you pursue everything you want.” A simple truth, as most profound truths are, is that we should be thankful everyday for everything we have, everything we have received and everything we have accomplished (no matter how small).

As I look back over the course my life has taken, I realize that more than the years, and the experience they bring, resulted in where I am now. It was also my thankfulness that pushed open doors of opportunity, blessings and unique experiences. I am daily thankful for the lessons my parents taught me at an early age. Lessons that pulled me through some dark times in my life. I am thankful for close friends (thank you Robbie!) and a loving spouse (thank you Denise!) whose belief in me and my abilities NEVER faltered. I am thankful for the mentors that came into my life and impacted it even in the smallest way. I am thankful for the fortune 10 companies that I have worked with just as much as the companies with only 10 employees in their ranks. All of these brought me to where I am and to each and every one of those I am ever grateful.

I look around at the world today and see great things happening, about to happen or opportunities for them to happen. Of course I’m not so blind that I don’t see the concerns too, but to dwell only on that fact would narrow my mind on what the world has to offer. In my life time I have seen the downing of the Berlin wall, watched democracy win out over tyranny numerous times and seen New York City as well as the entire United States pull together in the worst of times to help their fellow man. No matter your country of origin, race, color, greed, background or culture all of you bring something unique to the table. You as a person, as a country and we all as a world should be thankful. Always come from a place of thanksgiving; look around and be truly thankful for what you already have and have done and you will see the wonders that come from one simple act.

Some tips on generating a thankful attitude:

• Sit down with a sheet of paper and a pen and write down how good you have it. Write down everything you are thankful for – no matter how small. Doing this will begin to develop healthy, positive thought patterns and mold your attitude into one that will be more thankful all of the time. If you have a spouse or children do this with them and you will be astounded by all the good things all of you can come up with.

• Look down instead of up. What I mean, is we spend so much time looking up the socio-economic chain to where we want to be, that we often loose sight of where we have been. Look down the chain, to past where you were to those less fortunate than yourself, and be thankful for what you have. Volunteer some of your time at a local shelter, home or food bank. You will feel better for having helped as well as be reminded first hand of all that you have to be thankful for.

• Give back monetarily. Pick a charity or organization that you believe in and give some of your hard earned money. In the book Money, Sex, and Power, Richard Foster says that “money desires to be loved, courted, desired and hoarded.” Giving back and giving away breaks the power that money can have over us. You will feel better for supporting an organization that you believe in and giving it away on a regular basis helps keep things in perspective.

Thankfulness is just that starting point, but it’s a great starting point. Being thankful will enable you to create more. Take the ability to create more and create more ideas for yourself than you need. If you have more than you need then you can share your ideas, even give them away. As the old saying goes, “Be fruitful and multiply.” That just doesn’t mean in the sense of population – it means in abundance as well. When you are thankful for what you have, and creating more ideas then you need that is one form of fruitful. With more ideas than you need you can share those ideas with others. You will be blessing your fellow man, your community and your world with your wealth of ideas. Once this starts you will be amazed at the results in abundance that will flow back to you. But it all begins with the simple act of being thankful. Be grateful for everything you already have, everything you have already accomplished and for everything you are about to accomplish.

Begin your act of thanksgiving this very day, then everyday afterwards – and watch the wonders begin to happen

Think Successfully (as well as thankfully) & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann