ELEPHANT ALERT!

The biggest wrestling match ever thrown is about to take place in the United States.

Soon, the Thanksgiving holiday will be here. For hundreds of years this has been the moment at which gratitude is expressed for the abundance experienced throughout the year. Given the financial meltdown and increasing despair, will Thanksgiving 2008 be cancelled?

Here’s the elephant in the office: On November 27th, the people who only celebrate and give gratitude once a year for the abundance in their life will find themselves cage wrestling the largest turkey known to man. It’s gratitude vs. gloom – hope vs. despair – abundance vs. scarcity – selfishness vs. selflessness. It’s joy vs. misery.

This is no ordinary turkey. The bad news you face each day is big and strong and can gobble you up.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

There are, of course, plenty of people who won’t be wrestling turkeys. These people aren’t isolated from the rotten eggs being laid by the market; but they do make themselves inaccessible to the sort of thinking that destroys what’s important to them.

Kevin P. is one of those people. His 401K smells like everyone else’s, yet he’s able to lead himself. “People are starting to focus on core family values more than ever, and not just because it’s Thanksgiving,” he said. “In this moment we have to demonstrate our ability to focus on what we do have. Otherwise, someone could lose their mind if they only focused on what they’re losing.”

Ensure your family doesn’t wrestle the phantom turkey this year by asking:

1. How can we express gratitude more consistently throughout the year?

2. What do we have that we can give to others?

3. What do we possess that ensures we’ll thrive?

Wall Street and Thanksgiving are not synonymous. Celebrate the abundance that is real.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?