Along with the economy, people all over the country were worried about November 4—who will win? What will happen? How will things change, for the better or the worse?
Beyond this, there is a point in time when none of the details matter…all that matters is the tide of humanity.
But if you’re still concerned and worried about our recent election (economy, banks, money, wars, schools, children – or whatever you are worried about), to help you get through all of this and move on into the future, let’s start thinking about Thanksgiving. After the worry.
Here’s why: to get to any finish line successfully, it’s essential to think beyond it. If you cannot think beyond your goal, it’s difficult to achieve it. Why? Well, if you can’t picture the goal, then you can’t evoke emotional attachment to the consequences or rewards that come from achieving it. The rewards come necessarily after the finish line.
The role of emotional attachment with regard to goals is described in the 1937 book about achieving success, Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Hill lists success principles that work and explains why. Hill writes: “Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts only upon thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.”
In other words, one must be able to feel what that success feels like, before it happens, or else it won’t happen. This is no different from the visualization techniques used by highly successful athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. When Toltec shamans performed rain dances, they visualized and felt the rain, attracting rain toward the land.
To get us past Election Day and the economy, let’s begin thinking and visualizing and feeling past it to Thanksgiving. To do that, here’s an exercise. Try it! It’ll only take a few minutes…
Ready?
Close your eyes…
So, it’s Thanksgiving Day…where will you celebrate? At home? A restaurant? Make a vacation out of it? The in-laws again?
You’re there now.
Are you watching the N.F.L.? They’ve got Tennessee at Detroit, Seattle at Dallas, and Arizona at Philadelphia lined up…
The N.B.A.’s on too. A doubleheader. They’ve got Orlando at Washington, followed by New Orleans at Denver cued up…
What’s for dinner? Turkey? Ham? Both? What about those sides? Greens? What kind? Mashed potatoes? Yams? Corn on the cob? Gravy? Biscuits? Cornbread? Cranberry sauce?
Look down at your plate. What’s on it? Who served you?
Who will you have over? The kids? Your folks? In-laws? Friends? Neighbors? Co-workers?
What about your grandmother? Grandfather? Great-aunt? Distant cousins?
Are you trying to help someone? Maybe you took in someone who is away from home…or assisting at a shelter?
You’re sitting down now. Who’s next to you on either side? Who’s saying grace? What are they saying? What should this year’s grace include? Some thoughts for those who couldn’t be here, maybe?
Maybe honor for family history? Your family tree? Your cultural heritage? Those that paved the way and worked so hard for you to have this? How far back do they go? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?
Who are those people? Would they be proud? They would be, wouldn’t they? Especially this time, right?
You’re proud of yourself too, aren’t you? You can genuinely say, “Well done.” What do you appreciate most in your life? In your family? In your friends? In your home? In your country? In your world?
Are you grateful for your year? What wonderful things happened to you, personally, in 2008? What good things happened in the world?
Did you have a new child in 2008? Bought a new house, started a new job, made a new best friend? Did you get married?
You have some extra smiles this time, don’t you? For your kids? For strangers? For stranger’s kids?
Some extra hugs for your spouse? For everyone? Right?
Now … pause for a moment … how do you feel? Keep that feeling…
What feeling? It is gratitude, appreciation, triumph, success, faith, optimism, strength, joy, and more.
Own that, let this guide you, whenever you feel anxious, or distracted. About anything. You have so much going for you. So does your country. So does your world. All the possibilities! This is just the beginning!
The Internet—it has so much going for you, for your clients, for future clients, for the person next door.
So … stay focused on that and that alone.
Realize that this is not about the candidates but rather about you. And realize that you make history now.
Oh yeah—Happy Thanksgiving in advance!