Say it ain’t so Virginia! Another Thanksgiving is here already? Well, you know what that means. No, it doesn’t mean let’s throw up the Christmas decorations already, overeat at Aunt Alice’s house, or to prepare to hit the road for the infamous shopping during Black Friday. Yes, it means taking some time out to sit back, reflect, and give thanks to all of those folks who have been there for YOU. That not only means being grateful and thankful for your friends and family, but also for your colleagues. For me, I am grateful for many in my life, but when it comes to those who have helped me in my career, there are an extra special group of folks to thank.
First up would be a big thank you to Uncle Tom Moffatt, a legendary concert promoter in Hawai’i who taught me that there is nothing that takes the place of communicating face-to-face. Second and third would be Shannon Stewart, my first PR mentor, and Marty Schiller, my favorite advertising mentor. Both of whom taught me to “go for the gusto or stay the f#(%k home,” and to “dream big,” respectively. Other recent teachers that I must thank aren’t professionals or known in the industry, but are rather… my friend’s kids! Yep. Spending time with Taylor, Alex, and Koa, reminds me to approach life and work with a child’s view of the world and to not get stuck. Watching them play and interact also reminds me to keep an open mind and to be open to things as if learning something for the first time, because you know as adults, we tend to get serious once we’ve grown up, thus losing that childlike quality.
But hey, being thankful shouldn’t only be done on one day like Thanksgiving Day, but should be done each and everyday. It should be one of those things that kids are taught as one of the ‘golden rules’ in human interaction, that becomes a character trait in which they take on into adulthood. Do you know that you can change someone’s day by simply smiling and saying “thank you?” Try it as an experiment. I dare you. In fact, I double dog dare you. After being inspired one day by reading an article about basic communication, I did this one day and wanted to see if this would really make a difference, and it did. I smiled and said “thank you” to the woman at the post office, the cashier at Trader Joe’s (even though he was grouchy and wouldn’t smile back), the kid who gave me my cup of tea at Peets, and anyone who passed me and made eye contact with me. Most people smiled back and returned the sentiment. I could go on and on about common courtesy. Here’s my simple analogy: Smiling + Saying Thank You = Bringing a little more kindness and peace into the world. And who can’t use a little more kindness and peace these days?
Happy Thanksgiving All!
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