“The more gratitude you show in life, the more you will have to be grateful for.”
A MESSAGE FROM FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CYNTHIA BRIAN
America is a country of great abundance, yet, everyday most of us complain about the lack in our lives. Being human means that all of us, regardless of race, religion, economics, politics, or sex, will have difficult times and challenges to overcome. This is a plan that my daughter and I created together when she was a teenager.
It’s called, Thanksgiving is Today.
Take time to give thanks for the little things every day, not just once a year. Be grateful for what you have. When we are grateful, we are rewarded with a sense of honor and personal strength. Say “thank-you,” for every gift you receive, positive or negative, because everything in life is a blessing. Life may be giving you a lesson in appreciation. Learn to be grateful for everything. Gratitude exalts the heart and feeds the soul. Having an attitude of gratitude makes every moment shine brightly.
1. Say “Thank You”
During the next hour, say a sincere “thank-you” to everyone who does anything nice for you, your family, your friends, or the world. Write one thank-you note, and mail it.
2. Cook up a Treat
Create something nourishing, sweet, and delicious to give to a friend or loved one. Bake a cake and say “Thank you for being you!” The recipe for living a life of happiness is gratitude.
3. Create a Gratitude Journal
Find a beautiful journal to keep by your night stand and every night write down all the people, places and things that your are grateful for on this day. Date it. When you are having a bad day, re-read your entries. You’ll be surprised by all your blessings.
4. Learn to Receive
Allow others to feel good about them selves by giving to you. Learn to accept appreciatively and to enjoy the spirit of the gift. Sometimes the way you receive can be the greatest gift of generosity.
5. Write a letter
Letter writing is a dying art. Get pretty note cards and write a heartfelt “thank you” to those who have made a difference in your life…just because.
6. Party On
Throw a Gratitude Party and invite everyone you admire. What better way to say “thank you” than to eat, drink, dance, and be merry with friends?
7. Color My World
Get out your crayons and get creative. Make a collage. Cut photos and slogans from magazines to express your love of life. Make meaning from madness.
8. Offer Compliments
Beauty and grace are everywhere around us. When you “feel the love” say so. Compliment often and from the heart. You’ll be amazed at how wonderful you can make others feel.
9. Reward Yourself
Who is the most important person in the world? YOU! Before you can serve others, you must serve yourself. That means that you give yourself the gifts you need- more sleep, a hot bath, new clothing, a pat on the back, a romp with your dog, a glass of champagne, a luxurious vacation or a relaxing massage. The important thing is for you to get the message that you are important. You count. You are worthwhile. You DESERVE to be special. And then express your gratefulness for being the star you already are.
Everyday is Thanksgiving Day when you live, learn, laugh, and love in the moment. Thanksgiving is today. Share the abundance.
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, Novelist
On behalf of all the volunteers at Be the Star You Are!®, we THANK YOU for being part of our STAR family. We appreciate your ongoing support of our efforts to empower women, families, and youth while increasing literacy and positive media.
May you have a hearty, happy, healthy Thanksgiving with those you love.
With gratitude,
“To be a leader, you must be a reader. Read, lead, succeed!”
“No matter what the situation is...close your eyes and think of all the things in your life you could be grateful for right now." — Deepak Chopra
THANKSGIVING RADIO BROADCASTS
To help you get into the spirit of this holiday of gratefulness, tune in to our two Be the Star You Are!® uplifting radio broadcasts: Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio and StarStyle®. Both shows air on the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel, and are available wherever you listen to radio or podcasts including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Tunein, Pocketcasts, and more.
On Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio Keerthi hosts this holiday favorite and surprisingly she is not a fan of Thanksgiving food because she is a vegetarian. But she is a believer in appreciation and thankfulness and offers several quotes to ignite our gratefulness. She interviews Kirpa and Nihal Gill who testify that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. They share their family traditions and meal preparations. Spending time with their extended family is the highlight. Kirpa provides some historical context to the holiday while Nihal encourages others to volunteer to help others less fortunate during the holiday season. Alix, our resident restaurant reviewer and foodie talks about the favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal…dessert and offers three places to buy the best pies and cakes. Alix makes our mouth water with her divine descriptions of the buttery crusts and creamy fillings. Keerthi is humorous, as always, with her wacky comments and fun improvisational tone.
On StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!®, airing LIVE on Wednesday November 23 at 4PM PT, Cynthia Brian hosts an hour of power in the StarStyle® playground with a program focusing on gratitude, Thanksgiving, overcoming pain, and planting peace. For holiday gifts that keep on giving, buy first edition autographed books at http://starstylestore.net and NFTS at https://www.StarStyleCommunity.com
Come celebrate the holidays as Be the Star You Are!® charity and 5 A Rent-A-Space bring the North Pole to Moraga. Children will write letters to Santa and talk to Jolly St. Nick. Buy gifts for the holidays with autographed copies of the new children's book, No Barnyard Bullies while enjoying complimentary refreshments, music, and crafts for kids. The event is FREE! Lots of fun giveaways, too! Bring the family. BTSYA sponsored by Mark hoogs, State Farm Insurance, www.TeamHoogs.com. Thank you!
Location: 5 A Rent a Space, 455 Moraga Rd f, Moraga, CA 94556, USA
We often say thank you without even thinking about who we thanked or what just happened. Are automatic thanks valued?
If we think about the last time someone thanked us, can we remember who it was or what we did? Perhaps the person who wanted to express their gratitude was hoping they brightened your day. Maybe they did.
This week we are likely to spend a bit more time thinking about all the wonderful people who make our life better. You know who they are, but in case someone has slipped your mind, here are a few to consider:
Keep some thank you coins or notes in your pocket, and you will never miss an opportunity to say THANKS!
Karen Kitchel who penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com
SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP!
The holiday shopping sprees begin this week. We have suggestions for you to shop, save, and stay safe. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials.
6. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to live on this beautiful and astonishing Planet Earth. In the morning, I woke up with a sense of gratitude.” –Earl Nightingale
ALL WE NEED IS A THANK YOU!!
by Shubham Acharya
The show of appreciation is one of the most effective ways of motivating anyone. We may not realise it but when someone thanks us for our service, it fills us with a sense of accomplishment. We feel as if we made the other person’s life a little bit better. The power of gratitude is so profound that it forms the bedrock of employee motivation even in the cutthroat corporate culture.
There is reciprocity involved as well, we feel good in return after having thanked someone. Have you ever noticed that whenever you acknowledge the service of a waiter at a restaurant or thank a customer service personnel at a call centre, it immediately brings about a subtle change in their tone. We might not realise it, but that little extra effort goes a long way to improve someone’s day. They might be dealing with serious problems or simply having a bad day, but that simple ‘thank you’ might give them the fortitude to grit their teeth and battle it out.
So next time when the waiter brings your order say, “Thank You!”, when you accept a parcel delivery say, ‘Thank You!’, whenever someone offers you a service, no matter how trivial, remember to say, ‘Thank You!’. Our small token of appreciation will go a long way towards making this world just a little bit better.
Shubham Acharya is a Be the Star You Are!® volunteer in Mumbai, India who believes strongly in women’s empowerment and children’s literacy. Shubbam writes: “My mother was a teacher in a government sponsored school in one of the poorest localities in my area, so I grew up very aware of the importance of education and literacy in changing people’s lives. Having said this, I fell in love with the Be the Star You are!® motto ‘To be a leader, you must be a READER’.”
