One of the best ways to feel better and be happy, which in turn helps you to be successful, is to be Thankful. Give thanks for what you have, for what you know, for the good and the bad. All of the things that happen to you in life help you become who you are. During this time of year, be sure to always Give Thanks.

THANK OTHERS

No matter who you are you should always be Thankful. When you thank others for what they do for you, you help lift them up. By lifting up others they are much more likely to want to help you. You become known as a kind and good person. People are willing to help those who are kind to them. So, give thanks even for the little things. Thank the person that serves your food at a restaurant. Thank the person who delivers your mail. Thank the person who brings you a lead. Thank your tenants and contractors. Thank everybody.

Thanking others not only helps them to feel good, it also helps you to feel good. When you feel good, good things happen to you. There is a science in this. It can even lengthen your life. Your personal attitude and emotional well-being directly impacts the things you do and how you react to situations. Those actions can make a huge difference. If someone you know has a great deal they may want to partner with someone to make happen, who do you think they will call? The person that is always nice and trustworthy, or the person who is not so nice and seems to be in a bad mood? I know who I would rather partner with.

BE GRATEFUL EVEN FOR THE BAD THINGS

Nobody ever wants anything bad to happen to them. But, inevitably bad things happen to everyone at some time or another. Some are minor inconveniences and others are major disasters. The bad things that happen to us, just like the good things, help bring experience and knowledge. We can learn from those circumstances and choose how we react to them. Those experiences shape us into becoming who we are or who we will be. Just like touching a hot stove will generally make us never want to touch a hot stove again, bad experiences can protect us from harm in the future. If you have ever been scammed, you are more likely to be more careful in the future for anything that seems too good to be true. Then you pass along those experiences and lessons to others to help them avoid those bad things. But even what is outside of our control, maybe a car accident where you get injured that was no fault of yours can still lead to good. You may meet somebody in the hospital who shares some words of advice that help you. You may meet someone who later becomes a partner. You may have to take things slow for a while which gives you time to reflect on your personal life and decide to make some changes.

One experience I had was when we were moving from Nebraska to Idaho. The moving truck I rented had some problems. Before we took the truck off the lot I asked if all the fluids had been checked and everything operating like it should. I was told that everything had been checked and all was well. After we got all loaded up and started on our way, not even two or three hours into the drive the engine suddenly stopped making me have to pull over. I turned it on again and thought that was strange but we kept going. Then about another 30 minutes or so later it died again. This was getting annoying. After a bit it died again but this time there was a rest stop I could pull into. I was extremely upset. Mostly mad at myself for not choosing a different truck rental company.

I decided to see what was going on. There was a light in the dash panel so I looked it up and it was the coolant. I opened the hood and could see that the engine coolant was low. Coincidentally this rest stop was just about 5 miles away from a small town that just happened to have a large trucking repair shop and hotel. I drove ahead with the car we were also driving and noticed that there were several types of coolant for different types of trucks. I had no idea which to choose. So I spoke with someone there and they suggested they should come look at it.

We went back to where the truck was at and he looked over everything and noticed something on one of the wheels or axles. We drove the truck back to their shop and it turned out that there was a problem with one of the brakes. They had to get permission from the trucking company to fix it but they received permission and got it taken care of. So, after all that complaining and getting mad, losing a day of travel, etc, I was grateful. I was giving thanks because had that not happened we very likely would have been in a serious accident. We would be driving through mountains and coming down a mountain with a heavy truck towing a loaded van without reliable brakes would be very dangerous. After later pondering what had happened, I was certain that there was a higher power at work. It could not just be coincidence that we just happened to break down at a rest stop nearby a random location where there was a truck repair station. A place that we had driven by dozens of times before as we took trips to visit family but had never stopped there or even noticed it existed. We had to stop there to get the truck repaired to help save the lives of my family and the lives of others we may have crashed into. I will never forget that experience and for that I am thankful.

BEST TIME OF YEAR

During the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas people are generally in a better mood and willing to give thanks and help others. It is a time of gathering and gift-giving. Other than people fighting over Black Friday sales, I love this time of year because of the noticeable change in people’s attitudes. I don’t know why we can’t keep that same attitude and love for others throughout the year.

I want to end sharing something that I know will benefit the World. I know that being grateful and being kind to others will bring more joy to your life than having millions of dollars. It isn’t always about the money. Choose to do good and you will see. Once you have an attitude of constant thanksgiving, you will become the person that others want to be around and you will have Joy. I give thanks for my family who support me even when things are bad. I am thankful to have been able to spend last Christmas with my Mother before she passed away a few days later and for the joy she brought to others throughout her life. And I am thankful for you for taking time to read and help support this blog as I try to help others learn and improve their financial situation.

The attached video is an awesome example and lesson of how we can act so that others can be influenced by us and we can then help change the World, one person at a time. Please share this message with others, especially those who need to be uplifted.