In Everything Give Thanks

“How happy a person is depends upon the depth of his gratitude.”

                                                                          –John Miller 

I tried as a young father to inculcate an attitude of gratitude in my children when they were young. I tucked them in at night, said a prayer with them, and then I’d ask, “What are you thankful for today?” I wanted them to appreciate who and what they had. The first sign of maturity in a young person is gratitude.  

Now all of us know people who are thankful—they are appreciated and heartening to be around. Conversely, we can all think of a few self-centered, ungrateful people, who we, not surprisingly, tend to avoid. 

Dan Sullivan, founder of The Strategic Coach, says: “We can achieve endless progress and success in our lives as long as we are increasingly grateful each step along the way. Lack of gratitude is one of the biggest obstacles to personal progress.” 

In his pamphlet, “The Gratitude Principle”,Sullivan identifies three types of people who inevitably struggle: those who feel sorry for themselves, those who consider themselves “self-made”, and those who take their success for granted (“born on 3^rd base”).  As Life throws these people a curve, there is plenty of blame to go around, but certainly, they have no gratitude.

So, how do we create meaning and value from the inside out, rather than expecting good things to impact us—and make us happy–from the outside in? 

Answer: take stock daily of what you’re thankful for. 

Before you go to sleep tonight, take two minutes to answer these gratitude-inducing questions: 

1. What am I grateful/thankful for?
2. Why am I thankful?
3. How can I express my gratitude?
4. First action to take 

Here, I’ll show you what I come up with—in a few seconds:

1. What am I grateful for?  My health.
2. Why am I thankful?  I know I’m a wimp when I’m sick, nearly non-functional. So I’m glad to be currently healthy!
3. How can I express my gratitude? Thank God, for starters, that He has blessed me with this.
4. Action: Quick prayer reminder: 1 Thess. 5:18—“In everything give thanks….” 

Taking a few minutes at night or first thing in the morning to ponder what you’re grateful for yields positive benefits.  Doing this quick exercise for 21 days not only wards off cynicism, jadedness, resentment, and complacency, but also leads to a brighter, proactive outlook on life.  

Your future is what you appreciate today.  

What do you do to be thankful? How do you reframe your circumstances to be grateful? 

Lee McCroskey | @rleemcc

Director of Leadership for Southwestern Advantage

Educator Reviews - Keil Hileman, Kansas Teacher of The Year

Keil Hileman - Kansas Teacher of the Year

"I love the setup and easy access for data. The pages look great. I believe you have achieved your goal of creating pages that are open and visually appealing, while making sure students get what they need to review for tests and/or what they’re likely to need as they attempt to do their homework.

I compared the topics and chapters to our U.S. history book, and they matched up very well.

• The tables, charts, and 'Did You Know' sections will help students very much.
• Time lines are great—useful and easy to read.
• Spotlights are nice and useful.
• Clear bold headings help with keeping interest and readability.
• 'Now You Know' sections are a great way to sum up!
• I love the maps with clear headings, descriptions, and explanations.
• FYI sections are helpful.

I love the mix of color, black and white, and color cartoons. Most texts only have paintings and black-and-white photos. Whoever chose your collection of images did a great job for capturing student interest."

—Keil Hileman

20+ years as a classroom teacher (grades 6–8 social studies/museum studies; grades 11–12 honors archaeology and artifacts; Kansas Teacher of the Year; 2004 National Teacher of the Year finalist

Educator Reviews - Benita Bruster, Ph.D

Benita Bruster, Ph.D.

"Southwestern Advantage has hit an absolute “home run” with the new Social Studies and Language book. This resource guide contains critical elements to build student success in Social Studies and Language Arts. The publisher provided a comprehensive package to prepare students for achieving their educational goals; the book, the on-line Web-based support, and the software are all inclusive elements included with this text.

One of the most impressive parts of this book is the organization. Students need to be able to find information easily and quickly; this book is easy to use with multiple ways to access information. The color coding on the edges of each page will guide students to the areas needed without flipping page by page. Simply turn to the color-coded section and the information you are seeking will be there. The index is also extensive and well organized. The index topics are in bold print with color in the center to facilitate searching for a particular topic extremely fast, and [it is easy] on the eyes.

The Social Studies and Language Arts content are unparalleled. The Social Studies content is divided into six strands with an uncomplicated color-coded guide to direct students to the area they are studying. The six strands cover all of the important topics for Social Studies: United States History, Canadian History, Government, Economics, World History, and Geography. Throughout the Social Studies section, the colorful guides, time lines, extensive maps, charts, and stories not only provide an excellent overview of content, but will engage students in reading to learn more. The “Now You Know” summaries provide students with the gist of the important in only a few lines. These features are critically important for struggling students or students who are English Language Learners.

 

The Language Arts content is well organized and contains elements of all the language arts: reading literature, writing, complete with grammar and organization tips, listening and study skills, speaking, and viewing. This Language Arts guide provides information for students that will improve their writing skills. In-depth examples of common grammatical errors, spelling examples of many confusing words, and word usage are at the tip of your fingers. The “Watch Out” feature will improve students’ awareness of common errors in writing and is woven throughout each section to provide a quick reminder for students. The “FYI” tips are extremely helpful and provide a clever way to entice students to reflect on their learning. The readability of this resource is extremely reader-friendly. The bold text, color, frames, tables/charts, and the placements of items on each page will encourage students to use this guide.

This Social Studies and Language resource guide is an integrated collection of information that is critical to student success in school and in life. This comprehensive resource text, the on-line support, and the Web-based materials will support lifelong learning and achievement for students."

—Benita G. Bruster, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Reading and Literacy, Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education

Austin Peay State University

(M.A., University of North Texas; Ph.D., Texas Women’s University)