Give Thanks — for What?

I know that with downsizing, reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, dried up venture capital, etc. it may appear to be a bleak holiday season.  We continue to hear from people who have been on the receiving end of “Axed, canned, decruited, deselected, destaffed, negotiated departure, personnel surplus reduction, redundancy elimination,  selectively separated, and workforce imbalance correction.”

But we are also hearing from many people who realize they have been given freedom to pursue their dreams – to find or create meaningful, fulfilling and profitable work.  One lady said she had been given the “grace of interruption” in her work life.  Others are describing these unexpected changes as “reinvention, graduation, repurposed, unencumbered by employment, released to fly free, transitioning from caterpillar to butterfly, and prompted to success.” 

Whatever your situation, this is a great time to be anticipating the beginning of a new year.  In 1937, Napoleon Hill wrote this in the original edition of “Think and Grow Rich:”  “The ‘depression’ was a blessing in disguise.  It reduced the whole world to a new starting point that gives every one a new opportunity.” 

Now I doubt that people going through the depression saw it a blessing.  But it did give rise to thousands of new ventures and fresh career direction for many people.  Maybe now is your time to simply give thanks for being given a new opportunity.