5 WAYS I Plan To Spend Thanksgiving This Year

Nov 25

Thanksgiving may come once a year, but giving THANKS should be year round.

There's always the notion that this time every year we should highlight what and who we are thankful for. I believe that's something we should do on a daily basis. Sending a text or even a phone call to your family members, telling your friends that you appreciate them, or even taking time for yourself to reflect back on what it is you have and who you have in your life right now are little things that we tend to overlook. It doesn’t take a grand gesture to show gratitude, and life has had an interesting way of reminding me of that.

Every one of my conversations with people this past weekend has been about plans for Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday weekend. I like that New Yorkers tend to flee the City to spend the holiday time with their families across the US, while all the tourists flock to the City to watch the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and enjoy the start of the Christmas season in New York City. I'm ready to reunite with my family down in North Carolina in two days and have already started the packing process. But instead of listing out what and who I am thankful for this year, I wanted to share 5 WAYS I plan to spend Thanksgiving this year.

1. Less phone contact and more eye contact I only see my entire family once or twice every year, it feels like. My family is constantly busy with traveling, school, and work, and the last time we were all together was Memorial Day Weekend. This year, we'll all be coming together to spend Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend home in North Carolina, and I know how valuable this time will be. I want to be able to catch up and really utilize my time OFF my phone for the majority of it.

2. Set my workout routine... with my family. My family and I try to make the Lee Turkey Trot 5K a thing every Thanksgiving. At least... I do. But this time, instead of going off and working out by myself at the gym, I want to encourage my family to come with and make it a family thing again. It's always more motivating to have more people with you when you workout, and the holidays are NO EXCUSES.

3. Encourage sharing about any life updates in the past year Since I don't see my family very often, a lot happens in between. There's been a lot of changes in my life even in the past two months, and I want to be able to cover all ground with what's been going on. I also want to be there for my family and listen to what it is they have been going through too. I think too many of us ASSUME what’s going on in people’s lives because of what we see on social media, but you never truly know what someone is going through internally.

4. Pause being on New York time

Every time I leave New York City, I'm reminded that I am on the New York hustle and bustle mentality. I forget that life goes at a much faster pace in New York, and I want to actually discipline myself to not work these next few days to really make use of the time at home. This is insanely difficult for me because whenever I’m not doing something, I feel like I’m not making use of my time. Many entrepreneurs have this mindset to constantly growing their brand, their company, and it’s easy to fall into that mindset. I want to encourage more BREAKS. Work smarter, not harder.

5. Let go of my negative thoughts before I come home

My family and I are close in the sense that they know pretty much everything I’ve struggled with in New York City. But I don’t want to “vent” to my family when I’m home, but rather “pray about my situations” with them. I don’t want to bring my negative thoughts of what’s to happen when I go back to the City, but challenge myself to continue being grateful to have them in my life.

What are 5 WAYS you plan to spend Thanksgiving this year?

I’d love to hear them!