With Black Friday now upon us here in the U.S. I wanted to take a minute to thank my family, friends, clients, and fans of my books and teaching for your support. We live in a busy world where we often have too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. By blessing me with the gift of your attention and time to read these words, I am both grateful and thankful.

What I enjoy most about the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. is that it forces us to slow down and take stock of what we are blessed with, not on what is missing within our busy lives. See, no matter how life is at this exact moment, when we sit back and take stock of what’s going well, we can often find plenty of things to be thankful for even in the midst of adversity or temporary setback.

In my travels I’m often amazed at the people that I meet and interview who appear to have everything, yet have faced massive setback or loss along the way. The big difference in what keeps them moving forward and optimistic when others might have quit or given up, is that they never forget the blessings and gifts they have received along the way. Often this includes their faith in a higher power, health, energy, skills and talents, friends, family, mentors and others who believed in their abilities. These blessings serve as a hidden reserve of power that pushed them through the challenges and tough seasons of life.

Again, I strongly urge you, if you haven’t already done so, to sit down in a quiet place and turn your mind and focus towards what you are thankful for within your life. It not only can change your mood for the better, but it also might be just the wakeup call you’ve been looking for if you’re feeling down.