Most of us remember the history and heritage of Thanksgiving as the famous feast in which the English settlers were given turkey, corn and grain by the Native American Indians. Over time, it reflected the background of a tradition in which we provide “thanks” for the blessings we all share as a country.
However, there’s another aspect to Thanksgiving which we may all want to use this season to think about. There is a universal law which simply says, “What you focus on expands!”
If you focus on making money, your ability to make money expands. If you focus on your friends, friendships expand. If you focus on healthful conduct, living healthier expands.
Well, when you focus on “giving thanks” or “appreciation” or “gratitude,” those things for which you have the opportunity to be thankful continue to expand.
It’s no great surprise tonight that optimists become more optimistic and pessimists become more pessimistic primarily because of what they focus on.
When I focus each day on being thankful for the incredible blessings I have, I tend to be surrounded by more blessings—more things to be grateful about. And if I focus on verbalizing that gratitude and appreciation by expressing it to the people around me who have had a hand in those many blessings—whether it’s the employees in the company, my wife, my children, my friends, and so forth—I create an environment in which others are suddenly giving thanks for the blessings which they have.
It doesn’t matter how bountiful our lives are at any moment in time. And it also doesn’t matter that there are going to be times in which bad things happen.
What does matter is that we allow ourselves to focus—mentally, psychologically, intellectually, emotionally—on those things that make our lives richer and more meaningful.
How about a simple rule? Never forget to start off each morning giving thanks for all the wonderful things occurring in your life. And how about making sure, at least once a day, you have thanked someone, or expressed in some type of formalized communication of appreciation, just how grateful you are for what somebody has done to create an impact in your life.