Globally, we've seen the devastating impacts of the coronavirus. At best, we have had to change the way we work and play, becoming uncomfortably close with loneliness. Many of us have lost clients and jobs... or at worst, even lost friends and family. Amid the fear, we found it hard to feel peace, joy, and hope.
Here in the US, we have fought injustice and inequality: a painful, messy, necessary transformation. The rift we've exposed with our neighbors, friends, and loved ones is a fresh wound. Each time healing begins, something comes along and rips it open again. Amid the anger, it has been hard to be kind, gracious, and empathetic.
This year has seen enough to overwhelm anyone: economic turmoil, raging wildfires, terrible hurricanes, global leadership crisis, and civil unrest. Amid the chaos, finding something to be thankful for can be hard.
But you know what? Doing the right thing is usually hard.
My life has repeatedly reinforced this lesson: Difficulty always precedes greatness, but greatness never follows a difficulty abandoned. We are responsible to persevere through the obstacles life puts in front of us; To do the hard thing.
It can be hard to feel hopeful, but without hope, we are hopeless. It can be hard to be kind, but without kindness, it is impossible to heal together. It can be hard to give thanks, but celebrating the present and experiencing joy become much harder without gratitude.
One common Thanksgiving tradition is to take turns around the dinner table, sharing what we are thankful for. The younger me scoffed at this cliche exercise and its seemingly disingenuous answers. With age, however, my perspective has changed.
We are all thankful for our family and friends. We are all thankful for the food we eat. We are all thankful for the air we breathe. But how often do we say these things? How often do we recognize what we are genuinely and sincerely grateful for? How often do we practice gratitude?
Practicing gratitude yields so many incredible benefits: blocking negative emotions, reducing depression, creating more meaningful relationships, and magnifying happiness are just a few. Gratitude, it seems, could be the therapy many of us need this year.
It's within our reach, but we must take action. This Thanksgiving, I invite you to share what you are grateful for. Share it in person, over the phone, on social media, or say it out loud. No hashtag, no contrived marketing effort: The five minutes you spend may spark the change you need.
Allow me to start.
I'm grateful for my wife, Elise. She is my backbone, my heart, and my why. I'm grateful for my kids, Willow and Olivia. They are not only joyful: they are joy. I'm grateful for my mentor, Chris. He inspires me to improve continuously, to reach for greatness in everything I do. I'm grateful for our team here at The Futur. Nothing is impossible for them, and I'm honored to have them by my side.
I'm grateful for you. Yep, that's right: you. Because of you, we're able to try new things. We're able to fail. We're able to build an incredible community together. Every video you watch, every comment you leave, every purchase you make, every story you share may seem insignificant, but rest assured: it means the world to us.
Sincerely, thank you.
There's so much more I could write, but it's your turn. Please don't forget to practice gratitude today. From all of us here at The Futur, we hope you have a warm, happy Thanksgiving and a healthy, joyful holiday season.
Find hope. Be kind. Give thanks. Even if it's hard.
—Ben Burns
I asked the rest of our team at The Futur what they were thankful for. Here is what they wrote:
I'm super grateful for my husband and 2 daughters. Even after all the horrible events, ugliness that is being expressed by people, sadness that is surrounding us all, they keep me happy and at peace. I'm glad we are all safe and healthy. I'm also grateful for the friends I have. No matter the amount of time that goes by, I can pick up the phone and have a fantastic conversation, just like when we were in high school. Even though my in-person bubble is small, my distanced bubble is huge and I'm truly thankful. I'm thankful for being able to work through this pandemic. This bit of normalcy keeps me sane.
— Monica Martin, Head of HR and Bookkeeping
I am grateful for my family, friends and co-workers, who have been vital in keeping me sane this year. I’m grateful for the roof over my head, good movies, good books, and the internet that has helped keep me in contact with people, even as we are stuck inside. I’m grateful for the community that is The Futur. To be able to interact with people all around the world, even in a time as precarious as this, and to know that what we do is helping people. I’m grateful for cat videos on Instagram, and last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for pizza. I feel that needs no further explanation.
— Stewart Schuster, Video Producer
I am grateful for both tears and smiles in my life. Whatever happens, it makes me feel alive. My son's laughter wakes me up each morning. He waves at me before running down the stairs, after stealing my phone so he can dance to some song on Soundcloud. He's almost 2.