23 Ways to Express Gratitude this Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are 23 ways to express gratitude:

1. Send a message to someone you haven't spoken to in a while and let them how much they mean to you.

2. Volunteer

3. Jot down 5 things you are grateful for in a journal each night before bed

4. Say, thank you. A LOT.

5. Focus on "being more" rather than simply "gaining more."

6. Help someone out without needing to be asked

7. Make an anonymous donation

8. Listen more than you speak

9. Take inventory of ways you can improve yourself

10. Serve others before yourself

11. Promote a cause you believe in

12. Take care of yourself so you can do the same for someone else

13. Recommend a great book

14. Give someone a compliment

15. Exercise patience

16. Call and wish someone a happy holiday

17. Take time to consider those who aren't as fortunate

18. Show kindness

19. Avoid waste

20. Avoid gossip

21. Be present

22. Given someone your undivided attention

23. Share laughter

And I'm extremely grateful to ALL OF YOU for supporting my daily message.

Much love,

Nick 

Be Great Now

Yesterday, my brother and I returned from Denver where we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with our “baby brother,” Danny. 

It sounds familiar, but the time really did fly by. There were moments where I really appreciated the fleeting nature of this life, but the actual minutes as I listened to my brothers laugh and trade barbs. 'It doesn’t seem fair in a way that it all must end some day,' I thought.

Yet, if it weren’t for life’s all-too-brief makeup we might never dream, strive, or, dare. We are in some perverse way motivated by our own mortality. 

And if we aren't we sure ought to be.

Listening

Yesterday, I arrived in Denver to visit my brother for Thanksgiving. I'd been to Denver several times before and always marveled at how desolate it seemed from the airport to the downtown area. It was refreshing to see that there wasn't a compulsion to fill every square inch with an apartment, or storefront.

My brother greeted me in the lobby of my hotel along with my other brother who'd also flown out just a few hours before. We decided to find a place to eat.

We strolled past iconic buildings, busy avenues, ballparks, and trendy shops and restaurants. My youngest brother beamed as he pointed out different places he'd visited, experiences he'd had, and what the city meant to him.

I realized during this exchange how important it is to really listen; to allow people the chance to speak on subjects they know a great deal about and are passionate to discuss. Nothing will make them happier to pass on something they know.