Are you looking to show some Thanksgiving gratitude for your business this year?
Do you want a thoughtful way to grow yourself professionally for the remainder of the year and the year to come?
In this article, you’ll uncover why you should appreciate time, why to appreciate it in your business, and how to appreciate time in your business.
Key Takeaways
- Thanksgiving gratitude involves expressing thanks for various aspects of life including business, health, and family
- It’s important to appreciate time in your business so you can plan, manage, reflect, and grow like a professional
- Show gratitude for time in your business be it via meetings, reviews, and others’ time and contributions
Table of Contents
- What is Thanksgiving gratitude?
- Why should you appreciate time during thanksgiving gratitude?
- Why should you appreciate time in your business?
- Thanksgiving gratitude: how to appreciate time in your business
- What are some simple ways to appreciate time in your business throughout the year?
- FAQ: Thanksgiving gratitude
- Conclusion
What is Thanksgiving gratitude?
Thanksgiving gratitude is the expression of thanks and appreciation during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Traditionally, the Thanksgiving holiday is held every year in the United States on the last Thursday of November.
If you celebrate the holiday, then you’re familiar with gathering with your family and friends to enjoy a large Thanksgiving meal.
Now, traditionally people give thanks for things of which they are grateful at the dinner table. While that’s one way of showing thanks, there’s countless others.
Some people may choose to privately express their thanks. They may journal their thoughts, write in a notebook, go for a mindful walk, or meet with a good friend.
And still others may wish to express gratitude in different areas of their life. Giving thanks encompasses various aspects of one’s life.
But you can certainly express Thanksgiving gratitude for individual aspects of your life like your business, health, family, career, hobbies, and education.
The most important thing is that you take a moment to express your gratitude in some way. Be it little or big. It all counts!
Personally speaking, the Thanksgiving holiday is my favorite holiday. It’s wonderful to enjoy good food and times with friends and family, all in the name of giving thanks for what we have.
Why should you appreciate time during thanksgiving gratitude?
There’s a funny thing about time. For starters, time always seems to be available to us.
You may even take it for granted that the sun will rise in the morning when you wake up.
Or that the calendar will roll over to the next calendar month when the clock strikes midnight at the end of the month.
But have you ever wondered why you should even care about appreciating time? After all, it’s always with us.
It’s not uncommon for people to say they don’t have enough of time. There may be a sense of lack that is amplified by the feeling of busyness or with a heavy workload.
That’s why it’s so important to reframe our mindsets and understand that we do have time for what we wish to accomplish.
In fact, helping people reframe their mindsets when it comes to time is one my favorite things to do as a productivity coach.
Here are some key reasons as to why you should appreciate time:
- Cultivate a better understanding of the passage of the time
- Improve your relationship to time in your business and personal life
- Honor and treasure everyday moments and experiences as true gifts
- Respect other people’s schedules, calendars, and responsibilities
- Strengthen relationships with others, including family, friends, and business contacts
While these are just a handful of reasons, you may even want to start thinking about how you can appreciate time in your own way.
Everyone relates to time differently. Finding that way or knowledge may be something that can help you move forward.
It’s certainly worth some food for thought!
Why should you appreciate time in your business?
Your business runs on a tight schedule. You’ve got suppliers, clients, customers, staff, employees, and more to deal with.
So why should you take time out of your day to appreciate time in your business?
In my work, I commonly hear people saying they don’t have enough time or that they wish things happened all at the same time.
But that’s not the truth. We all know there’s a wealth of time available to us every single day. We get to choose how we spend our time.
So what gives? It’s our mindset that’s messes with our perception of time.
But here’s something that you might not have considered: if everything happened at the same time, then you wouldn’t be able to use the passage of time to your advantage in your business and beyond.
That’s why there are several good reasons to appreciate time in your business.
Let’s take a look at these and see just how they influence you and your business at large.
Planning
You may not have thought about it before, but having both the time and space to plan is vital to your business.
The passage of time allows you to be present in the current moment. It also allows you to create future plans for your business, be it marketing, sales, expansion, or research and development.
What’s more, planning your calendar allows you to set aside specific times in which to work, create items, liaise with vendors, upload and materials.
Pacing
One practical thing about time is that it forces you to pace yourself in your professional and personal lives.
While we can’t always predict what will happen in our life at any given time, we always have the ability to determine how we will react to any situation.
Pacing yourself and your work according to the calendar ensures that you’ll be able to weather any of life’s challenges for the long term, rather than the short term.
Reflection
Time allows you to reflect upon your past experiences. You may decide to spend off-peak, closed, or other hours in your business to evaluate what just took place.
Reflection time is a valuable thing. It allows you to learn from your experiences, mistakes, and make a plan to grow into your future self.
Thanksgiving gratitude: how to appreciate time in your business
The Thanksgiving holiday offers us a chance to pause, reflect, and show gratitude for things in our professional and personal lives.
And it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to be grateful for steady business, loyal customers, and supportive staff.
But there’s something that you might inadvertently overlook when it comes to Thanksgiving every single year.
Here are four time management experiences to be thankful for in your business this Thanksgiving.
The better you can appreciate the time you have now, the more it will make a positive impact for you in your daily routine.
A contact agreed to meet with you to discuss potential business
It’s only natural to meet with new people in your business to discuss operations, opportunities, and partnerships.
But it’s important to remember that people don’t have to meet with you. That’s something special to be honored in and of itself.
Think about it for a moment: this person was willing to spend time with you to explore potential ways to work together.
Whether or not the meeting resulted in business, you’ve still spent time with them. It’s a mutual experience that cannot be erased.
If you’re in business, then you’ve probably had your fair share of time spent discussing things with new people.
Some arrangements worked, while others didn’t. And that’s perfectly okay. You can make the most of this time.
Consider what you’ve learned from your meeting. It could be a new way of thinking, piece of information, mindset, or worldview.
Your client or customer took time to write a review
Clients and customers should always be celebrated. Buying products and services is one thing to be grateful for, as are reviews and testimonials.
Your client could be doing something else with their busy schedule time but instead chose to write a review.
They appreciate your business and are willing to share their experience with others. That speaks volumes.
So, what can you be thankful for here? Simply put, it’s their consideration and their time.
If you haven’t thanked someone for their input, now’s a great time to do so.
A contact took time to explain a complex concept
Business moves fast. That’s why it’s important to recognize when someone slows down and spends time with you in conversation sharing their knowledge.
Someone recognized your need for help. They also cared enough to help you understand a complex idea, concept, plan, or scenario.
Again, this person didn’t have to take this action. But they were willing to share their experiences and expertise with you so you are in a better position to address issues in your business.
You should certainly thank someone if they’ve helped you.
I do this in my business whenever anyone takes time to have a conversation with me about a concept or subject with which I’m unfamiliar.
I fully recognize that they could be doing something else, instead of spending time with me, helping me learn something new.
You should also consider passing along the goodwill by breaking down a complex concept for someone else in the future in your work.
Your meeting attendees gave you their undivided attention
Finally, it should be noted that the beauty of undivided attention is real.
And it should be something for you to embrace on a regular basis as we’re constantly being bombarded by distractions and notifications in today’s busy world.
Think about a recent meeting you held. Ask yourself who stopped and joined you in that fleeting moment of time for that shared experience.
Someone listened actively, asked questions, provided insight, and fully participated in the meeting. That’s something important that should be appreciated.
What’s more, if you want to make this a memorable Thanksgiving holiday for yourself, write down at least one memorable instance of each of the above.
It will give you a new appreciation for the time others have spent with you in your business.
What are some simple ways to appreciate time in your business throughout the year?
You don’t need to wait for the Thanksgiving holiday to show appreciation for time.
Here are a few easy ways to express gratitude for time in your business throughout the year.
- Actively thank meeting attendees for their valuable time and attention
- Make the most of slower, less busy, or transition time in your business
- Silence or put away electronic devices before meeting with someone
- Take your full lunch break and other breaks during the work day
- Arrive on time to meetings, appointments, events, and gatherings
- Use a last-minute calendar cancellation slot to rest and recover
- Be mindful of ending meetings and appointments on time
- Savor the end of your work day by taking a few moments for yourself
Lastly, there’s always time to show gratitude for time. Try any of the above ideas to heart and see how you can truly appreciate the gift that is time in your daily routine.
FAQ: Thanksgiving gratitude
What is Thanksgiving gratitude?
It’s the act of expressing thanks and appreciation during the Thanksgiving holiday. Gathering with family and friends to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner and give thanks can include both personal and professional accomplishments.
Why should you appreciate time in your business?
It helps you better understand the passage of time, improves your relationship with it, allows you to honor daily commitments, respect others’ schedules, and strengthen business relationships.
How does appreciating time benefit your business?
It allows you to effectively plan future activities, pace yourself during challenging work, reflect on past experiences, and create a more productive and mindful work environment for yourself.
What are simple ways to show gratitude for time throughout the year?
Thank meeting attendees, make use of slower business times, silence electronic devices during meetings, and take full breaks. Practice being punctual, use calendar cancellations as rest time, and savor the end of your workday.
What are some meaningful moments to recognize and thank others for their time in business?
Recognize when a contact agrees to meet you for potential business, a client writes a review for your business, or someone explains a complex concept to you. People are taking time to to help you expand your knowledge and business.
Conclusion
Ever wondered how a simple act of gratitude can transform not just your personal life, but your business as well? Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to reflect on the value of time and the relationships you’ve built around it.
Appreciating time helps us better plan, pace, and reflect, leading to growth and stronger relationships. Taking a moment to genuinely acknowledge others’ impact on our lives is allows us to see time as the gift it is.
A version of this post originally appeared on Inc.com.
In case we haven’t yet met virtually, it’s nice to meet you! Hi, I’m Rashelle Isip, The Order Expert®, productivity coach for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and executives.
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