Thankfulness is an important ingredient to add new friendships and to strengthen our existing relationships along the way. We are days away from the season of Thanksgiving here in America and typically is a time when friends and family gather around the table for a meal.

Thankfulness can be expressed in many ways. I remember a time when my Father and I went to a grocery store to pick up a few things – ‘The Honey-Do List’.  While in the checkout line I noticed the clerk had a look on her face expressing to all, this was not a good day.  It was our turn in the checkout when my dad spoke up and said, ‘Your hair looks very nice today.’ She immediately began to shine and said, ‘Thank You.’ After saying that, she turned to the clerk next to her and said, ‘You know you look very nice today.’ I stood there and watched this happen, when all of a sudden the next clerk turned to the third clerk and commented on her appearance! I was amazed how I was able to witness how one compliment began to have a ‘Chain reaction’ from one to another.

Showing thankfulness to each other can take someone from a place of feeling low to a feeling of elation.  Try this on for size.  What if you were feeling low and instead of groveling over your misfortune, you turned and thought of the people or things you were thankful for and then acted upon it.  Give action to your feelings.  Maybe the clerk noticed that the other one looked nice but she was too focused on her own pain to actually say something.

Zig Ziglar once said, ‘To deny your talents, is to deny your friends and family the fruit of those talents.’ Expressing thankfulness is a talent and is not to be denied but expressed.

One night my lovely wife, whom I have written about, was fast asleep from a long day.  I realized that she does a lot that I am thankful for, so I left ‘I Love You’ notes everywhere on things that I knew she did everyday.  I left one on the mirror when she gets ready in the morning, on the toys for the boys at bath time, on the door when she lets the dog out – you get my point.  Over the next few days she would stumble upon an ‘I Love You’. Everything she does means so much to me that I wanted her to know I am thankful for her and all the things she does.

Now it’s your turn to put action to your thankfulness. Leave your comments of whom or what you’re thankful for on this post and then forward this post (Share This) to them to put action to your thankfulness. They will read your comments and then comment and pay it forward as well.

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This is the third child that my wife is carrying; her body is left with the traces of the previous pregnancies.  Yet, I view these traces with joy because of her sacrifice to bring forth the beautiful lives of our children.

The joy of being able to work from home with the sound of my two young boys in the background offers music to this father’s ears.  Balancing a work from home life with a family can be a difficult task that can leave you present, yet not present.  I have an open door policy when it comes to my little boys and wife because I want them to know that I am always around and can be accessible.  Yet she also respects when I am on a presentation call or training, to keep the boys quiet.

 In a work from home family there has to be a mutual support, love and respect of each others time.  I can be guilty of burying my head in my computer working and forget to come out to smell the roses.  Sometimes the smell of warm muffins in the oven will bring me out, (wait I digress).

To be present yet not present in a work at home environment, can be a strain on any family and it is important to remember that balancing quality family time will actually rejuvenate the joy for your work and build the support system around you for success.