The True Measure Of Our Thanksgiving

“Not what we SAY about our blessings, but how we USE them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.”-W.T. Purkiser

I hope everyone (who celebrated) had a lovely Thanksgiving and holiday weekend. As I mentioned a few days ago, I am not sure I can quantify how thankful I am for the path I’m on and the people who continue to be a part of it.

One of my dearest friends on the planet, Neghar Fonooni is out visiting family and friends in California for the holidays. She wrote the most eloquent and heartfelt blog post and it struck home with me because I too can appreciate 1. the blessing of activity (both the ability and what it can do for you) and 2. she wrote about “letting go” and about what she felt during a long-over due outdoor run.

As many of you know, I love strength training, but I LOVE to run. To me, everything from sprints, to hills and especially the long, outdoor runs, are so cleansing. The past month has been a bit stressful for me as well, particularly with the build up of completing my NSCA CSCS test. I posted about my testing experience a few weeks back in late October — when I THOUGHT I had “failed” the test and was very disappointed. It was rather unlike me to think negatively about a situation I didn’t have confirmation on, however I had put so much effort into the preparation of the test, I was deflated when I felt the scientific part of the test was written in a foreign language! Well, sure enough, my scores came back this past Monday and I PASSED!

I am officially beyond the CSCS hurdle. To receive that passing confirmation was remarkably empowering as it was something I had my eye and heart on for the past five years. It was a prerequisite I knew I needed in order to proceed in the direction of training that most inspires me. To start and finish something, solely on ones own hard work is EMPOWERING because you are creating for yourself what YOU want. The reminder I received from all of this is “Hard Work” pays but you must also “Believe” …there was absolutely no reason to get myself upset about results I didn’t even have yet… I could have spared myself some serious stress!

With a few other recent stressors, like Neghar, I decided with the arrival of Thanksgiving, that I was going to LET GO and clear my plate of “stressors” in order to make room for more “grateful”. On Thursday morning, I went into the gym for my regularly scheduled training and my lifts were AWESOME. So much fun and a bit stronger than usual. I don’t think it was just a coincidence. I think our minds either limit us or propel us. The choice is yours. When it comes to “letting go”, I’ve been told a very wise statement, which is “I CORRECT Myself. I COLLECT Myself. Then I CONNECT Myself.” It really works like a charm.

So finally, going back to the opening quote, “Not what we SAY about our blessings, but how we USE them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.” — isn’t this true?? To be grateful for something is to embrace it. What good is an opportunity if you don’t sieze it? What good is god-given talent if you don’t utilize it or sharpen your skill set? What a shame to have a burning passion and not bring it to life or a wonderful person in your world and not draw them in. Embrace the blessings that are currently existing in your life (people, opportunities, preexisting talent and passion) and the ones that continue to define themselves on your journey.

I believe in a few things when a blessing comes along:

1. AWARENESS and GROWTH - Life may not always give you what you want, but it will always give you what you need. Sometimes the darker hours are blessings themselves. An opportunity to develop self awareness, draw experience and ultimately gain inner strength. All things are vehicles for growth if you choose.

2. Being OPEN to RECEIVE - Keeping an open mind and heart. Sometimes, we’re hung up on a “trouble” that we don’t see what great blessings the universe is putting in our path at the same time. When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.

3. TIMING and MOMENTUM - And sometimes, the stars just align… and when they do, RUN WITH IT!!