On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to remind you of the power found in thankfulness. No, thankfulness is not intended to externally change things immediately, but it is intended to internally change the way you see things instantly. You see, perception changes many things. And if it can change the way you view something currently going on in your life that isn’t a good thing, then it can actually change your outcome for the better. You just need to grab hold of the endless possibilities to start seeing change in your life. When this happens, it will influence you to begin moving forward.
Thankfulness creates movement. Share on Xthankful
3 Reasons I’m Thankful to Share My Writing With You
I read a great post on Michael Hyatt’s blog today, about how giving thanks improves your life. That gave me a great idea for this post, which will be my last as a regular ASmithBlog contributor.
What Michael’s post did was help me add some perspective on the opportunity to write for and engage with Adam and his readers over the past 15 months (my first post here). It’s been a great experience, and I’d like to use my last post to express my gratitude for you and the experience.
Here are 3 reasons I’m thankful to share my writing with you here on ASmithBlog.com.
1 – Thankful for the relationships
My writing has primarily focused on marriage and parenting relationships, which helps me grow in those areas as I write about them. However, I’ve also formed some great relationships via the great people I’ve met via my posts. You’ve left many encouraging comments on my posts, and some of you have even jumped over to my blog and became regular readers.
A few of you have even given me post ideas and shared some of the things you are struggling with. I appreciate that dialogue. It’s something to make sure we all have in our relationships, two-way dialogue.
Make sure you relationship’s communication flows both ways, as it will be much more valuable to you when it does.
2 – Thankful for the freedom to write
I write for many sites, and each one has a different protocol. Adam always allowed us to write what was truly on our hearts. I was free to write about intimate details of my marriage. I was free to share how my relationship with Christ impacts all my relationships. I was free to share anything I thought would be beneficial to you.
Each writer on this site has the same freedom, so when you read a post, you are getting something that is near and dear to them, and they are passionate about. That brings a lot of value.
When you operate from a sense of freedom, and allow others to do the same you can be so much more of a blessing in your relationships.
3- Thankful for being part of a great team
When Adam first introduced the writers he introduced us as experts. Although I didn’t feel qualified to be called an “expert,” I loved being in the company of great bloggers sharing very valuable info to help us all lead with our lives. I’ve learned a ton from this team, and some of us have connected outside of ASmithBlog.
We are all relational beings, and need others on our team to help reach our full potential. I encourage you to embrace teamwork in your relationships. Working on something you love, be it your marriage, your family, or your career with a team will bring much greater results.
Thanks again!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my writing as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I look forward to engaging with you online in the future, whether it be here, social media, or my blog.
So, what’s next?
For those who are interested in the projects I’ll be working on next I looking forward to sharing with you. I’m currently wrapping up a publishing deal with a major publisher to write a book, and create a bible study curriculum for churches about marriage.
Also, my wife and I will be co-hosting a web show that will feature the stories of some of the best marriage experts and ministries you can find. The first season has been recorded and we are preparing for production and launch this February.
You can get more info and be on the list to get first notice of happenings with the show, book, and curriculum by clicking here.
Question: What’s one thing from ASmithBlog.com that you are thankful for?
Be Thankful All Year
I think it says a lot about our culture that we have a holiday to remind ourselves to be thankful. I know it is really to celebrate something different, but we have commercialized it to be about shopping and being thankful for what we have (kind of ironic, is it not?).
Why can we not be thankful more often?
I know I am a week late, but I could not think of better timing for a post on thankfulness. Most people assume we are past that part of the year and we are now on to focusing on Christmas, but I would argue that it is the other fifty-one weeks of the year that we need to celebrate and practice thankfulness.
Far too many of us are unappreciative for the things in life that deserve the most thanks.
- A roof over our heads
- Water that gets pumped out of a faucet by turning a knob
- A heating and cooling system so we don’t sweat and freeze all year long
- Blankets to stay warm
- Enough food to fill us up over and over again
- People to take care of us
- The opportunity to have a job
I am talking about the little, everyday things; not whatever your typical answer may be at Thanksgiving. What are the things we so often take for granted that enable us to live the way we do?
We need to shift our focus from thankfulness once a year to thankfulness three hundred and sixty five days a year.
What does that look like?
Here are three examples:
- Humility
- Friendliness
- Peacefulness
Ultimately, the most thankful people are the ones who care about themselves the least. The ones who do not always seem like they are trying to impress others. These people do not come off as someone always trying to get ahead. They aren’t the ones posturing themselves as someone they are not.
Instead they are the type of person who always puts others first. They are the ones who always help those in need. They are the people who know how to exalt others or make them feel important while downplaying themselves. They have inner peace and are not trying to calm any storms inside.
So which type of person are you? Are you thankful once a year? Are you thankful a few times a year? Or are you full of thanks all year long? Do you let others know how grateful you are for them and also for what you have been blessed with?
Letting a friend or family member know how grateful you are for their impact on your life is a gamechanger. It pushes you towards humility and makes that person feel like they matter. And at the end of the day, isn’t that something we all want? To know that we matter to someone other than ourselves?
Here’s my challenge. Be thankful. Not just last week. Not just this week or two weeks from now. But six months from now. When we are past this season. When life gets rough and heavy, will you still be thankful for all that you have? Choosing to focus on thankfulness will not only change you, but those around you and that makes it worth the intentional effort of creating the lasting habit of giving thanks.