This Growth Coach Blog is focused on the importance of giving thanks.  Pretty fitting given that today is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays because it’s simple, pure, honest, and all about loved ones and giving thanks.  As your virtual business coach, I wish you and your family a very relaxing and blessed Thanksgiving … and may you truly recognize and count your many blessings today and on a regular basis.  This Growth Coach Blog will help you to slow down, reflect, and appreciate all the wonderful people and simple pleasures you have in your life, even if economic times are causing you angst.

So first, let’s face reality.  Has the challenging economy and slow recovery in the U.S. made you feel a little less thankful, grateful, and appreciative and a bit more anxious and irritated?   Are you focusing more on your burdens than your blessings, your problems than your opportunities?  Probably so. But if not, congratulations … you have a healthy and wonderful perspective on life and business, understand what truly matters most, and are a rare and wise individual who can be thankful in the best of times and worst of times.  Keep doing what you are doing and share your strategies and attitude of gratitude with others.

For the vast majority of us, if honest, we probably feel a little less thankful and blessed during these challenging economic and uncertain times.  But why?  Does this really make sense to have our gratitude and blessings tied strictly to economic conditions? Business may still be rough, but the special people and simple things closest to our hearts still exist and are close at hand.  Isn’t that so?  What matters most is still available for us to recognize, love, enjoy and appreciate.  Don’t let turbulent times blind you to this fact.

You most likely still have your faith, family, friends, health, and basic necessities.  Isn’t that so? While they may be clouded over right now by some anxiety and stressful times, they are still very much in your life and present.  We all just need to burn off the fog of adversity and negativity to gain a better perspective and clearly see our true and meaningful wealth, not just our monetary wealth.  As your business coach, I want you to slow down, catch your breath, reflect, and count your bountiful blessings this Thanksgiving.  This will help recharge your spirit, confidence, energy level, positive attitude, and sense of clarity … all essential for greater success.

So, my fellow business owner, entrepreneur or professional, who and what specifically are you thankful for?  Go ahead, think about your blessings. I know it’s tough but just do it.  Most goal-oriented, hard-charging and successful professionals have a hard time slowing down to reflect and count their blessings.  They tend to be focused on the next goal, next sale, next project, next result.  They seldom stop to smell the roses, enjoy their victories, look back at their progress, or count their good fortune.  Sound familiar?  That’s not healthy.

There is a great quote from Zig Ziglar that says, “The more you are thankful for what you have, the more you will have to be thankful for.” I believe this.  What you appreciate and are grateful for, you attract into your life in a more abundant way … you get what you think about and thank about.  Therefore, please do not take the people and blessings around you for granted.  Have a genuine attitude of gratitude and good fortune will continue to flow abundantly your way. Again, who and what are you thankful for?  When is the last time you looked back to see how far you have come?  To think about all the people (internally and externally) who helped you along the way?  Again, who and what are you thankful for and should deserve your gratitude?

Let’s get specific.  We business owners have lots to be thankful for … a few quick ones come to mind … our faith, families, friends, customers, employees, health, home, our livelihood, a life of purpose, controlling our path,  a warm shower, comfortable bed, enough food, career fulfillment, our country, our freedoms, our rights to own a business, creative expression, building something beyond self, fun activities, sports and hobbies, to belong to a group, etc.  Again, who and what are you thankful for?

For me, on the business front, I am thankful for all my passionate franchise owners (business coaches) who serve and help several thousand small business clients each and every year.  I am also grateful for all my dedicated Growth Coach employees, vendors, and advisers who help support our critical mission of improving North American one community at a time by helping the entrepreneurs in those communities achieve greater success in their businesses and balance in their lives.  What we do makes a real difference, touches lives, and is very fulfilling.  If interested in becoming a business coach, click here.

As business owners and professionals, we need to learn to count our blessings and not just our burdens.  To see opportunities, not just problems.  To thank all the people around us.  Even in challenging times, we need to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.  Again, who and what are you thankful for, especially on Thanksgiving?  Be sure to tell them in your words and actions.