By: Matt Franks
The countdown to one of the most celebrated Holidays here in the United States is officially almost over. Thanksgiving, the third Thursday of each November is a wonderful collage of - fellowship, reflection, experiences, rest, football, and food. Today many families are making their final travel and meal preparations to share this special day with those they love.
For obvious reasons a spirit of “gratefulness” spreads throughout many of the living and dining rooms. Although it is great we take time out of our busy schedules to give “thanks” I wonder what would happen if we made this spirit a consistent everyday verb. My question is simply this: why is it so widely accepted for most people to wait for permission from a calendar before they give thanks – in other words, why is it a noun and not a verb? Giving thanks should be a way to live your life, not just a day in your life.
William A. Ward said, "God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" Over the course of my leadership journey I have discovered one very important distinction between ordinary and extraordinary leaders – it’s called appreciation. Anything of great achievement has been the result of collective hard work by others. I have heard my friend Orrin Woodward say many times, “Nothing of value has ever been created through efforts of my own….it has always been because of the team.” The extraordinary leaders are able to rally the troops towards a united vision because of their consistent intentional practice of being appreciative for the efforts and talents the people on their team invest.
To make the spirit of Thanksgiving a daily verb or practice in your life it is important to grow in the following four areas:
1. Humility – Bestselling author Ken Blanchard said, “Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself, it means thinking about yourself less.” When you stop taking yourself so seriously it allows you to take value of others very seriously. When credit comes are you quick to accept it for yourself or reflect it on to others? Expand your humility so you can extend your influence.
2. Gratefulness – Being grateful is your heart’s appreciation imparted into the soul of others. Orrin Woodward opined, “You can tell the size of a leader by how big they treat the ‘little’ person.” Everyone plays a part in the achievement of a great victory. Be grateful for their unique contribution. The question is not “what part did they play”, but rather “did they play that part with excellence”. Someone’s personal best is always worth your gratitude.
3. Giving – We live in a society where ‘getting’ is overestimated and ‘giving’ is underappreciated. There is no ‘getting’ in Thanksgiving, only giving. All of us have three stages that relates to giving:
- What we do give
- What we could give
- What we should give
Sadly some people rarely ever get to stage one. Why? Because one of the largest misconceptions is that giving is all about money. You could give your time, give your talents, or give your perspective to offer solutions. Life always reveals its treasures to you after you prove your stewardship in what you give. There is no “I” in Get, but there is in Give. Are you doing your part?
4. Forgiveness – When I was in High School one of the sports I participated in was basketball. During my junior and senior years I was fortunate enough to have been included as part of the starting five and lettered both years. Each year at the awards banquet we handed out an award to our Scorekeeper. He traveled with us everywhere we went and kept very detailed records of game stats and other relevant scores. He got rewarded to keep accurate scoring.
Unlike basketball, there is no room for scorekeeping in forgiveness. In order to develop a thankful spirit you can’t keep score when people do you wrong. Are you one that seeks revenge or do you take the high road? When you exhibit grace on those that do you wrong, your blessings double.
May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving with your families! Remember giving and exhibiting your thanks doesn’t end after tomorrow, but tomorrow marks the beginning of gratitude for everyday during the rest of your life.
