Thank YOU for Being Thankful Too
I don't know how we got here but the holiday season is upon us.
And no different from other years YOU will be shocked to know I am NOT ready...I'm never ready. I have come to embrace it as part of who I am.
I'll eventually make my lists... figure it out... and I'll do my best to live in the moment and forgive myself for all that I may have forgotten to buy or do.
What I AM gearing up for...and eagerly anticipating is writing my annual Notes of Thanksgiving - A Leadership Tradition.
A Few Moments of Quiet Gratefulness
To be honest... I don't remember why I started the tradition or what year I started it. I don't think any of that matters . I also know that I GET much more than I give. It marks the start of the season ahead and starts things off reminding me...
to be grateful for all that I have and the people in my life
that I know that this moment is fleeting and anything can...and will change...sometimes for the better... sometimes for the worse... and sometimes with the future yet to be revealed
that everyone is going through a struggle no one else knows about and that this can be the hardest time of year for many
Making Time for Traditions
This is my first Thanks Giving as an American Citizen. It has...and always will be my favorite holiday since we arrived in Arizona in 2006 because we make it low key. We host our friends who are Canadian transplants to the desert like us... and it's not fancy... it's just a day to hang out...play games and eat too much. This year will be no different!
That means I can spend the day before we host the feast sending my notes of thanksgiving to as many people in my network as I can.
I customize each note to put in a few words that are specific to the audience as much as I can. This is what takes extra time... and the whole day... but an important step in the process. I pause as I write each name to genuinely wish them well.
Making time for this tradition is important to me so everything else will have to wait and just be ok for one day of the year.
In Closing...
If YOU have made it this far in this blog post I have two asks...
If YOU have received one of my notes over the years do me a favor and drop a note in the comments section on what this tradition means to YOU
Commit to writing a few notes of Thanks Giving to people in YOUR network and let me know how it goes
Let's make this a season of gratefulness and pay it forward. I think you will be amazed of how much more you GET than you give!
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
What are YOUR favorite Holiday Traditions?
What reminds YOU to be grateful? What are YOU grateful for?
What could YOU make time for this holiday season that you think YOU don't have time for?
What does it mean to YOU when someone reaches out unexpectedly who doesn't need anything and just genuinely wants to hear how YOU are doing?
Thanks for reading and remember…..YOU make a difference!
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