I sat down to write my post for this week during our holiday of gratitude, and immediately felt as if the words were incredibly familiar.  I looked back and realized that what I wrote last year for thanksgiving remains pertinent to me.  So at the risk of sounding redundant, here it is again …

The BREAK THROUGH … Reprise of Post 43

This holiday has a lot to teach us. While it might be built on a controversial historical celebration, the contemporary notion of gathering with friends and family for a day to be thankful for all that we have, is apropos to our daily lives, and should be practiced regularly. And since much has been written about thankfulness, I don’t think I need to add to those interpretations.

My point today is simply to illuminate an application of giving thanks within the world of leadership and design. What if giving thanks began every discussion, every meeting, every brainstorming session?  What if we began from a point of affirmation and surplus, from a point of recognizing all the solutions we already have in our world? Beginning with thankfulness places our mind in a place of optimism. Such positivity opens up our attitude to playfulness.  And playfulness leads us to compassion and creativity.

Beginning with thankfulness is not a novel concept.  Many first nations and indigenous people know to start with a thankful heart.  Today should remind us that every day, even every breath we take, is a thanksgiving.