HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Are you ready? The last big week!  This is it! 

This week we will hear one phrase more often than any other.  Do you know what it is??????  “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!”  While reading, I found a few things that peaked my interest and I wanted to share them with you as we move into the week.  Let’s start with the greeting…Happy Holidays!

In a 2013 blog, Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas: The Last Thing That Ever Needs To Be Said About It, Huffington Post editor, Paul Raushenbush provides us with, “a primer to help all of us just “get along’ during this holiday season.  

COMBINING IDEAS

The weather has certainly turned seasonal.  Are you beginning to get that Holiday Mindset?

The past two readings have examined the ideas of Authenticity and Mindset.  Last week we considered the concept of Innovative Mindset (How Do you Respond to a New Idea).  As you may recall, the authors cite four factors as contributing to an Innovation Mindset ; Curiosity, Ambiguity/Tolerance, Affirmative Judgement and Persistence. A powerful sentence concludes the article, “Innovation (within an organizational structure) doesn’t happen without leadership!”…

MINDSET

A number of years ago I was introduced to the work of Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck and her book, Mindset.  She defines “Mindsets” as “beliefs” about yourself and your most basic qualities, which can include intelligence, talents, personality, etc.  The fundamental question posed is, “Are these qualities simply fixed traits, carved in stone, or are they things you can cultivate throughout your life?”  Dweck proposes that the answer is self- driven depending on your mindset.  In her book she examined two mindsets; Fixed and Growth
Those with a “Fixed Mindset” believe their traits are given or have been fully developed.  …

AUTHENTICITY

Good afternoon!

Like so many others, I ventured out this weekend to begin my holiday shopping.   OK, I didn’t really shop, I simply enjoyed going out, grabbing a cup of coffee, walking in West Reading and watching others get into the bargains.  As I was going through one store I overheard a conversation between a salesperson and a potential customer.  She was making a full-blown pitch for a particular item because it was “authentic”; “You really want this one, it’s not one of the knock-offs or look-alikes seen on-line and in other stores. 

A THANKSGIVING RECIPE

Good Afternoon!  Some food for thought

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.  Gratitude is the completion of kindness.  Thankfulness may consist merely of words.  Gratitude is shown in Acts!” – Henri Frederic Ariel

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” – John F. Kennedy

Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time when family gathers and we express our thanks and gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon us, but as both Kennedy and Ariel point out, true gratitude is expressed through our actions, or perhaps you could say, “Through what we give back.”