Stuff Your Turkey With Giving Thanks

Why settle for giving a "thank you" when you can give a POWER THANK YOU*?

Make giving thanks the center piece of your Thanksgiving by having each person give a Power Thank You. It has 3 parts:

Part 1: Thank someone for something specific they did for you (it can also be something they refrained from doing that would have hurt you).

Part 2: Acknowledge the effort it took for them to do it (by saying something like: "I know you didn't have to do ---" or "I know you went out of your way to do---").

Part 3: State the difference it personally made to you.

For example:

1. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this.

2. I know how many blogs, messages and spam you receive and that it takes effort to actually open and read one that doesn't seem immediately relevant to you.

3. The fact that you have read a number of my blogs helps me to feel that I have "listened" accurately to your concerns, worries, hopes and dreams. Listening well and being of service are very important to me.

BTW "Giving thanks can make you healthier, happier" according to a USA Today article by Kim Painter.

One of the reasons for that is that you can't be angry and thankful at the same time.

Anger is a reaction to feeling something is missing, something has gone wrong and you are wounded. Anger comes from a need to retaliate or out of fear of something or someone attacking/hurting you again to attack them to keep them from doing it (think wounded animal and war in Iraq after 9/11).

Thankfulness comes from a feeling of wholeness, that nothing is missing, that there is no one you need to retaliate against. In fact, if you are not a dyed-in-the-wool taker, thankfulness crosses over into wanting to show gratitude by giving to others.

I'd love to hear from you if you try a Power Thank You for Thanksgiving.

Warm regards and thanks to you all,

Mark

* adapted from "Chapter 23: The Power Thank You and Power Apology," "Just Listen" Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone (AMACOM, $24.95)

Comments

[Jim Jackson]

Mark,

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this.

I know you sometimes wonder if you're offering the value you want to people's lives, but you keep persistently offering constructive perspectives.

This post is of particular value to me because I'm frequently on the look for insightful perspectives from others that I can share with parents to inspire and equip them for effectiveness in raising graceful, responsible children. I will share this one!