The importance of Thanksgiving every day
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 The Thanksgiving story is more important. And Easter has its fans, too. Rebirth is a wonderful thing, but I still say Thanksgiving is more important. Yes, kids jump for joy at the thought of Halloween.
I am sure they enjoy the costumes almost as much as overdose on sugar and chocolate, but the Thanksgiving story is even 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 our abundance of "stuff". Oh sure, we have ten-foot tall digital color televisions with 594,798,345,691 channels and computers that send us around the world faster than the speed of a race car on growth hormones.
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 could find a use for 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.
Actually, does that not sound like a continuation of the original Thanksgiving story?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 these are the major benefits I am grateful for living in twenty-first century North America. What does that have to do with Thanksgiving Day 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 things you don't have, what you do have just 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. We who are drowning in luxuries and hold the world in our hands can't seem to find the time to appreciate what we have ... but we still make time to whine and complain. We still find things, however petty, to feed our negative thinking. How can we learn to appreciate our abundance and live a happy life?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..
Conclave: How Papal Election Works
Upon the death of the Pope, a monumental sequence of events unfolds, culminating in a process known as the conclave whereby a new Pope is elected to lead the Roman Catholic faith.Beneath Michelangelo's revered ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals, led by the Cardinal Camerlegno (Cardinal Chamberlain), Eduardo Martinez Somalo, begins the arduous process of selecting the pope's successor. The Cardinalate currently consists of 117 cardinals from all over the world. In the conclave, an event enduring little change since the thirteenth century, the cardinals take an oath of secrecy, that if broken renders the offender automatically excommunicated from the church. There are no televisions, radios, or newspapers allowed inside the conclave.The Cardinal Electors, almost all of whom were appointed by Pope John Paul II, will vote in a very thorough process of secret balloting where a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new Pope. The College may vote up to four times a day,...
Conclave: How Papal Election Works
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Anam Cara Making sense of life
In Corrogue this Anam Cara or Soul Friend is coming to his senses.This morning it is a wet and windy Sunday morning. Each Sunday morning is an extended morning of rest. It is a morning of practice. I practice slowly coming to my senses. It is a morning in which I practice deep caring for the body and the soul.
This is a practice of awareness of the sensationalism of life moment to moment.We are beings of the senses. We make sense of our world via the senses. The senses are gateways. They keep us locked into a certain reality but they can be the medium of freedom from the limitation we call "our life." For too long religion has labelled the senses as something "not quite nice." For too long we have separated our senses as being something "not spiritual." Many of our religions have done the same with the sensational experience we call sex. As an Aman Cara I teach spirituality of the senses.
I teach what Van Morrison calls "A sense of wonder." An Anam Cara teaches you to honour...
Anam Cara Making sense of life
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Anam Cara Making sense of life
In Corrogue this Anam Cara or Soul Friend is coming to his senses.This morning it is a wet and windy Sunday morning. Each Sunday morning is an extended morning of rest. It is a morning of practice. I practice slowly coming to my senses. It is a morning in which I practice deep caring for the body and the soul.
This is a practice of awareness of the sensationalism of life moment to moment.We are beings of the senses. We make sense of our world via the senses. The senses are gateways. They keep us locked into a certain reality but they can be the medium of freedom from the limitation we call "our life." For too long religion has labelled the senses as something "not quite nice." For too long we have separated our senses as being something "not spiritual." Many of our religions have done the same with the sensational experience we call sex. As an Aman Cara I teach spirituality of the senses.
I teach what Van Morrison calls "A sense of wonder." An Anam Cara teaches you to honour...
Anam Cara Making sense of life
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Dream Are Waiting...
You have permission to publish this article electronicallyor in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines areincluded. A courtesy copy of your publication would beappreciated - send to: b2wforum@yahoo.co.inDreams Are Waiting...R.G. SrinivasanDreams, dreams and more dreams!
So many dreams are waiting to be realized!The world is created out of dreams.
Call it imagination, goals, objectives, aims or anything the dictionary can hold out for shaping a future event, the root is always the dreams.
One mans dream transforms an entire nation, people, events history.
A mans dream illumines the world the light bulb.
A dream puts man on space and the same dream nurtured by other people would one day lead man to the intergalactic wonderful worlds yet unknown to man and with it the widening of the narrow world view that we hold todayDo you have a dream?
Are you nurturing them regularly with your imagination?
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?Bleeding Edge? Polymer Semiconductor Research Receives Acclaims
A team of material scientists, led by Professor Samson A. Jenekhe formerly of the University of Rochester's Department of Chemical Engineering, have developed a family of plastic electroluminescent devices.
This family of technologies has potential applications in more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and solar cells, video displays, as well as other electronic devices, and is the subject of U.S. Patent 6,605,904.
Jenekhe's research was recently recognized by Thomson research company in its "Fast Moving Fronts," which identifies trends and growth areas within materials sciences and other disciplines.
His research is focused on one of the major challenge of developing plastic, or polymer-based, semiconductors ? to make efficient, high-performance semiconductors for use in applications where traditional polymer semiconductors fall short.
These high-performance semiconductors are called multicomponent organic semiconductors.
The challenge...
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The Wireless Home
It was only a few years ago that Real Estate agents and Builders were promoting the "Wired" feature as a must have when buying a new home. Wired meant that the home not only had cable running throughout it, but also Cat-5 wire. Cat-5 wire consists of four pairs of wire that are sheathed into one bundle, and is used for interconnecting multiple computers and computer peripherals throughout the home. Electricians went to great length to run Cat-5 throughout new homes, and homebuyers paid a handsome premium for it. Now the latest buzz from the Computer and Networking world is, "UnwireYour Home", as the Computer/Internet world rapidly moves to wireless interconnections.
Most of the leading Personal Computer (PC) providers are major players in this paradigm shift. They are selling new technology from leading networking equipment companies that enable homeowners to wirelessly connect their Personal Computers to their Home Entertainment centers. Through a Wireless Media Adapter, connected...
The Wireless Home
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The importance of Thanksgiving every day
Cowboy Boots
Cowboy boots are stylish, western, and beautiful. A style that's always in vogue, cowboy boots are still a favorite among most people. And it's truly amazing to know how many types and kinds of cowboy boots are available in the market today. Starting with the traditional ones, the range goes on to truly unique ones.
Cowboy boots can either be bought ready-made or customized according to our own desires and choices.
Some brands are particularly popular among customers...
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Boots, Motorcycle Boots, Work Boots And Even Dress Boots! Who Wears Them Anyway?
Wearing boots today is even more popular than ever. It used to be that boots were only for stomping through the mud with. Now however, boots can be as fashionable and stylish as you'd like. From motorcycle boots to cowboy boots and western boots, they're all gaining in popularity. If you want to be on the edge of rugged fashion, get yourself some boots.In prehistoric times skins or hides were probably tied around the foot for protection and warmth.
The sandal, probably the earliest form...
The importance of Thanksgiving every day
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Advisors Volunteer To Enhance Community Financial Security As Part Of The American College's National Financial Awareness Day
Bryn Mawr, PA (ContentDesk) December 22, 2005 -- With over 150,000 financial practitioners in its Alumni Association, The American College, the nations leading financial services educator, announced today that it is launching a national initiative designed to enhance consumers financial security.On March 6, 2006, graduates of The American College will open their practices for one day and offer members of their local communities the opportunity to learn more about issues affecting their personal...
The importance of Thanksgiving every day financial planning
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Enterprise Information Management (EIM) ? When Cutting IT Costs is a Priority
In a recent article on virtualization of content in the Nov/Dec 2003 AIIM E-Doc Magazine, Nathaniel Palmer, Delphi Group Chief Analyst, cited, "The ability to virtualize content repositories into discoverable services offers virtually limitless opportunities for repurposing and leverage. It also offers a far more economical way to integrate content access than is otherwise possible with either physically integrating content at its source or maintaining redundant repositories." Many organizations...
The importance of Thanksgiving every day data recovery
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