By Martin Jansen, Owner of Jansen-PCINFO
With Thanksgiving a few days away, it’s important to remember to be grateful. I believe that part of the problem we have in America is that people are less thankful.
Born in the USA
If you are born in (or have legally immigrated to) the United States, you have already won the lottery. As my parents could attest, this land was and still is the land of opportunity. My parents came to the United States from the Netherlands with two children and $40 in their pocket, yet my Dad was able to go to school and became a draftsman and architect. Their rags to (relative) riches story of one of many immigrant family stories being told to their children.
Wisconsin
Our family settled in Wisconsin because it has great resources and family friendly values. Wisconsin is beautiful. Just ask the many Illinois residents that escape the big city for our life that we enjoy daily. We should be thankful to live in this part of the country.
Choose Your Attitude
So much of life is about attitude. We could focus on how bad things are. Certainly the evening news is rife with bad news with only a few minutes at the end being funny or uplifting. Or, we could choose to be happy despite our circumstances.
Viktor Emil Frankl (March 26, 1905 –September 2, 1997) was a Jewish Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist who entered German concentration camps at 37 years old. He later wrote many books and developed a form of psychiatry that helped his patients find meaning in life. He wrote of his experiences:
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”
We, too, need to choose our attitude daily.
Busy Lives
Sometimes our lives are so busy that we fail to reflect. Take some time to be thankful this season. And you’ll truly have a Happy Thanksgiving.