Today is Thanksgiving in America and it’s a day when our attention tends to shift to our families. But it’s also a great time to steal away a few moments to count your many blessings.
For many years, I avoided doing that second part in any way, shape, or form. My focus was instead always on the things that I wanted but didn’t yet have. I tended to never look back at what I had already accomplished.
As I grew a little older, I started to pay more attention to this idea of being thankful for the many things that have indeed come my way over the years. There was an immediate shift that happened in my life when I changed my focus from what was missing, to what was already accomplished.
I found myself happier, more confident, and living with increased expectations about what was coming next. What a contrast that was!
Now, instead of feeling like a failure for all the things I did not yet have or had not yet accomplished, I felt proud and happy about where I was right now.
Today, I teach a very powerful point in my seminars and to my coaching clients that can be summed up like this:
“Gratitude is the Shortcut to Success.”
You could use today as the excuse to look around you at the family members who love you, the house you live in, the clothes you wear, and the “toys” you own and find ways to be thankful for it all.
It can be helpful to remember a time in your life when you didn’t have any of the things you have now, and remember how much more challenging life was back then.
Look at all you’ve done, all you’ve accomplished, and realize that with each passing year, you grow more and more.
Very few in our society today are not on this path. Some move along the path faster than others, but we’re always moving forward in at least some areas of our lives.
Take this day to remember just how lucky your are to have what you have, and make a decision to make this into a habit you carry with you every day of the year.
You’ll soon notice that the things you want will come to you with less effort and more frequency than ever before.
If it’s indeed true that success is a mindset, a great place to start is by being grateful.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Robert Imbriale
‘The Motivational Marketer’
