The
Importance of Thanksgiving by: David Leonhardt
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<
/a>). Web site: http://www.TheHappyGuy.com.
amabaie@phastnet.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
