| |
| |
|
lovelyholidays.org
|
|
|
|
Importance of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year. Oh, sure, Christmas is grand, and I know it has many, many fans. I'm not knocking Christmas, but Thanksgiving is more important. And Easter has its fans, too. Rebirth is a wonderful thing, but I still say Thanksgiving is more important. Yes, the kids might put in a good word for Halloween. I am sure they enjoy the costumes and the sugar overdose, but Thanksgiving is more important. Why? Because the two most important words in the English language are "Thank You". This is true for business success, for social pleasure, even for self-actualization. For business success, a thank you tells a prospect or partner that you are appreciative of what she has just done. It shows you have a genuine interest in that person and the business relationship. For social interaction, expressing gratitude is equally important to show how you value the other person and the social relationship you have with him. Thank you is a bonding phrase. But thanksgiving is most important on a personal level for our own happiness. This is true for anybody who has ever lived, but it is even more true for us today. Consider how much we have. More than any of our ancestors, we live in the Land of Plenty. We have more than anybody who lived at any time before. And for those of us who live in the developed world, we have more than most people on our little planet even today. I'm not just talking about "stuff". Oh, sure, we have digital color televisions and computers that take us around the world faster than the speed of sound. And we have 31 flavors of ice cream waiting for us on every second street corner. And we throw out more "junk" than we ever needed to own in the first place. But we have so much more than just stuff. Consider the following: FREEDOM: More of the world lives in a democracy than ever before, and democracy is becoming more open or "democratic" with every year (perhaps in part due to the Internet). OPPORTUNITIES: With freedom and affluence comes opportunity. We have more opportunity to make more money, to earn it the way we wish, to choose our profession, our location, even our lifestyle. Women have just about reached equality with men in most of the developed world, and more people are able to flee oppressive regimes. KNOWLEDGE: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? With freedom, comes the ability to satisfy our curiosity: knowledge. And with knowledge comes a thirst for freedom. Let's face it, the idea of "the ignorant masses" has become an anachronism. Even the dumbest among us has more knowledge than most people who lived a couple centuries ago. (I said more "knowledge", not more "wisdom", but that's another topic.) HEALTH: Just surviving past childhood used to be a major accomplishment. Now we expect to live into our 80s or 90s. And we expect - no, we demand - to have exceptional health care all along the way (even those who are afraid to go to the doctor!). This list could keep growing, but I think these are the major benefits of living in the twenty-first century, especially in the developed world. What does that have to do with thanksgiving and happiness? Well, follow this train of thought. Whatever you have, you can either appreciate or not. If you appreciate it -- I mean really notice that you have it, that it is good, that you feel good about having it -- it will bring you happiness. However, if you get used to it, take it for granted, and focus on getting something you don't have, it won't bring you happiness. Appreciation is the key to happiness. Whatever you truly and proactively appreciate, whether "stuff" or education or a vacation, will bring you happiness. But in this fast-paced, dog-eat-dog, over-stimulated society how can we appreciate anything? Sadly, many of us who have the most to be grateful for express gratitude the least and feel the least appreciation. It seems the more we have the more we want. The more we want, the less we appreciate what we have. The less we appreciate, the less value there is to having anything, which may explain why we keep wanting more The secret to feeling that appreciation we often overlook is in expressing our gratitude vocally or in writing. How can we possibly fail to appreciate something when we say "Thank you" for it and focus our attention on the appreciation? I offer several ideas on how to express gratitude in the "Get Happy Workbook" and my book "Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness", including keeping a gratitude journal, saying grace, practicing "bolsterism", or just sending flowers, cards, or an appreciative e-mail message - to name just a few ideas. Perhaps the most useful of all ideas is to make Thanksgiving Day every day. Christmas is important. Easter is important. Halloween is important for the kids. But for our own personal happiness, there is nothing like a truly heartfelt Thanksgiving. About The Author David Leonhardt is author of The Get Happy Workbook (http://www.T heHappyGuy.com/happiness-workbook.html) and Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness (http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/happiness-self-help-book.html), and publisher of the free ezine: Daily Dose of Happiness. (http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html). Web site: http://www.TheHappyGuy.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top 5 Ways for an ADD Adult to Have a Happy Holiday Holidays have the potential to send an adult with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) into overload. Too many details to plan, kids to manage, and family to cope with can turn a good day into a stressful one. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - How to Tap in to the Holiday Publicity Bonanza If your product or service can be given as a gift, a publicitywindfall awaits at the end of the year - but you need to startworking in June. Each December, media outlets cover the newest,the hottest and the most unusual Holiday gifts. A Medieval Story for Valentines Day, Bonne & Charles The general word on the Internet is the first Valentine card was sent in 1415. It's not accurate and it's not true. Make Every Day a Mothers Day! The word mother and mothers day are simple, yet powerful little words that you hear all the time especially so around the time of mothers day when everyone seem to be scrambling for ideas to say thank you, you are surely loved and you are appreciated all over again.But if you would just take time out, you would realize that useful hints were probably being dropped all alone and throughout the year. EASTER: The Bunny and The Egg Ever wonder why there's an "Easter Bunny"? Ever wonder why he brings eggs? And dyed ones at that!The Rabbit and the Hare, because of their frequent multiple births, are long time symbols of fertility. According to pre-Christian fertility lore, long before Jesus Christ was born, the Easter Bunny, aka the Easter Hare, represented the new life during the Spring season. Making the Holidays More Meaningful Have the holidays become too commercial for you? Are you feeling empty and unfulfilled during this time of the year? This year by making some simple changes you and your children can truly make the holidays more meaningful.Teach gratitude during the holidays:Gratitude should not only be for the material presents but for the little blessings in their lives. 10 Holiday Sober Savers 2004 1.) BEGIN NOW !!!Don't save your shopping, decorating, cooking, wrapping, and cleaning for the last minute. Holiday Health: Give Get-Fit Gifts 'Tis the season to celebrate -- and a time to eat! Most of us gain a few pounds during the holiday season. With family dinners, holiday parties and gift baskets loaded with goodies, who thinks of staying fit?Instead of giving a pyramid of chocolate, a basket of tempting treats or a bottle of bubbly this year, why not be different? Give your loved ones a Holiday Health Kit to start out the New Year right. Bathed in Blue - Love Can Happen for You Whether you know him by Eros or Cupid, this son of the Goddess Venus aka Aphrodite, has long been associated with Valentines Day. Cupid the cheeky cherub loves to play and delights in aiming his pointed arrows at unsuspecting victims. For Thanksgiving - Be Thankful He's Not the Cheating Kind Infidelity is at an all time high. According to the latest statistics, 3 out of 4 husbands cheat on their wives. The Only Way to Turn New Year Resolutions Into Reality! So you ate, drank and spent too much over the Holidays. Now you are overweight, bloated, tired and broke, and you are promising yourself that you are going to change all that this year!There are two reasons why New Year Resolutions don't work;1st we try and take on too much,2nd we don't believe in ourselves. Consider the Egg The glorious egg, with its deep links to Creation mythology, is one of the oldest symbols of life and rebirth known to us. Many gods, demons and heroes have sprung from eggs. Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating You're tired. You've worked hard all week. Camping And The Right Kind Of Tent Campers all over the globe prefer to use tents in their camping trips. With so many different kinds of tents available in the market, it becomes very difficult to choose the type of tent which is suitable for your needs. Keeping Christmas Spirit Alive: Christmas Just Isn't The Same Without Santa Claus! Holidays may come and go but some holidays, like Christmas, should never change. Most folks have a favorite holiday and for many it is Christmas. Perfect Presents for Mom Every year we search our brains for a unique, exciting gift for Mom. We have bought flowers, candy, jewelry, pictures of our kids and us. Virtual Assistants... Even Santa Needs One! Trying to fit all the planning and preparing and celebrating of the holiday season into an already busy schedule can bring a lot of stress to a time of year that's supposed to be full of peace. These days, even Santa needs help making his list and checking it twice!Fortunately, help is available. Christmas Matters Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.Have I ever? One year I tried forgetting Christmas here in the UK and spent it in the Canary Islands. 10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who have laid their lives in the nation's service. Memorial Day has also become a popular time for Family Reunions and Get Togethers as it is preceded by a weekend. Christmas Tree Topper Ornaments From my childhood memories, pride of place on the top of Christmas tree always went to a fairy dressed in white. Or was it an angel? No, I'm sure it was the Christmas fairy; and she was usually last to go on the tree apart from the tinsel.
|
|
Powered By: Work At Home With Google - FREE! |
| © 2006 |
