Author: HarrisGroup

JMH Blog

Day 7 Gratitude Challenge

How was your day yesterday? We you able to stay present and mindful. Because I made it a priority, I found myself interrupting bad habits when I was not mindful. It allowed me to focus on what was important at that moment. I attended a college women’s basketball and focused primarily on being with my wife, the game, and mingling with friends. Hopefully, I will incorporate this more into my daily life rather than once a year during the gratitude challenge.

Today calls for us to ponder the following question: Who are you grateful for…or..For whom are you grateful? After you answer this question, contact this person and express your gratitude. While thinking and feeling gratitude helps you, expressing gratitude to others helps both. Make the world a better place and let someone know you appreciate them. Double dare you to do it twice today!

Day 6 Gratitude Challenge

Yesterday was a good day. My beloved Minnesota Vikings won. The weather was great. I finished a couple of projects. I had a great dinner with my wife. I spent time reflecting on cherished memories AND thinking about ways to make new memories. It is the little things that can make the biggest difference. I also made good on my pay-it-forward challenge from Saturday. I didn’t wait to see the reaction but the server at the restaurant was stunned when I asked to pay for the table next to me.

The challenge today is hard for me. The challenge is to be present, mindful, and grateful all day. I struggle with the definition and with the application of the definition. One definition says “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”

For today, my plan is to make an effort to be aware of what I am doing right now. My plan (which will get disrupted) is to chunk my day. When in meetings, all my focus will be on that meeting as opposed to what is outside the meeting. When working on client files, my focus will be on my work. I will take brief moments (60-90 seconds) each hour to step back. Perhaps some deep breathing or maybe just listen to the sounds. Lastly, I will be grateful for what is.

Day 5 Gratitude Challenge

I today grateful for an extra hour of sleep. It is well documented the importance of good sleep. I am feel better and function better after a good sleep.

I must confess that I am disappointed I myself. I got a late start yesterday, got distracted with editing pictures, and never paid it forward. I will do so today. BUT it is important to give grace – to others and yourself. Sometimes things don’t go as planned.

For today, I want you to focus on a cherished memory. Make a list of your top five cherished memories. This take time to think about each memory and why you cherish it. Bonus points if you write all this down and share it. You can share it with family members or friends.

I won’t bore you with five of my most cherished memories. Truth is, I have probably bored you already with cherished memories in previous posts. However, I will share two cherished memories here.

The first happened many years ago in 1991. As many know, I am a long time Minnesota Twins fan. Through a stroke of luck, my best friend and I were able to get tickets to Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. If you have a spare three hours today, you can watch the game here. Attending that game, in that stadium, at that stage of my life, with my best friend and fellow Twins fan was an amazing moment. For those that don’t know, the Twins won the game 1-0 in 10 innings. I still get chills, thinking about the game and celebration after the Twins victory.

A second cherished memory involve a spontaneous trip to Minneapolis with my wife and youngest child. My beloved Vikings were scheduled to play his beloved Lions. The Vikings were having a great season. The Lions were awful that year ending the season with a 2-14 record (though that was an improvement over 0-16 the previous season). We stayed at a hotel that was relatively new at the time. Side note: We continue to stay at that hotel when we can. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the Detroit Lions were also staying at the hotel.

As the Lions team meetings wrapped up, players headed back to the rooms for good sleep before the big game. There was only one way to get to the room, and that way it was blocked by my son with a sharpie, notebook, and a smile. He even tracked a couple of players into the bathroom. By the end of the evening, he had obtained the autograph of most of the players. His prized autograph was of the quarterback Matthew Stafford, who not only signed his notebook, but also signed the Matthew Stafford jersey that he was wearing. The next morning the team left a hat for him. While at the game one of the Lions players remembered him from the hotel and handed him a football.

As I write this, I am smiling because it was such a wonderful experience for all of us. It almost turned me into a Lions fan! The pictures attached to this post show my son getting the autograph of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

Long story short, we all have cherished memories that bring back good feelings. While it is unhealthy to dwell on the past, it’s OK every once in a while to think about those special moments.

Day 4 Gratitude Challenge

I’m not going to lie about yesterday. While I tried to smile all day, I spent much of the day focused on the various tasks at hand. The highlight of my day was taking picture at a tennis fundraiser. Based on my first review of the pictures, it was clear that many had read my blog, because there were lots of smiles. Seeing the smiles in the pictures. Makes me feel better about my day.

Day 4 is a bit easier than the other days. Today is a pay it forward day. At least once today, buy something for a stranger. If you’re in a drive-through and a coffee shop or restaurant, pay for the car behind you if you’re at a restaurant, pick a table and pay for their meal. Bonus points if you do it anonymously and stay to watch the reactions. Also, don’t forget to set your clocks back tonight and enjoy the extra hour of sleep!

Day 3 Gratitude Challenge

What things did you notice and appreciate yesterday? The first thing I noticed was the stillness as I walked my dog in the morning. There was no wind. If you live where I do, you understand what gift that is. I noticed the beautiful sky as I drove to work. I had an amazing soup and salad for lunch at MB Haskett. Listened to Condoleezza Rice discuss the current state of foreign affairs and the potential impact on markets. When you look for the little things, they are easier to find. At the end of the day I had a smile.

The challenge for today is to continue my smile. Smile all day long. Since it is Friday, and the weekend is upon us, this should be fairly easy. Smile as often as you can today. Walk into every room, including the bathroom with a smile. Sit at your desk and smile. If you’re talking on the phone, smile. See how your smile impacts people around you. Most will smile back. Some will wonder what you’re up to which might make smile more or laugh. And while you’re smiling, try to notice the little things and don’t complain!

Hopefully, when, reflecting on the day, you will find it was a good day. And you will smile again. Even my dog smiles!!

Day 2 – Gratitude Challenge

If I am being honest, the first day of this challenge is always hard. I have perfectionist tendencies. Towards that end, no complaining means just that. Did I make it through the entire day without complaining? No. I struggle with difficult customers/clients, other drivers, and traffic regulation systems.

While I wasn’t perfect, I interrupted the complaining before it became a derailer. Additionally, when people asked how things were, I responded “No complaints!”

A note of perfection. It is the lowest standard. It sets you up for failure because it is unattainable. Don’t strive for perfection, strive for excellence.

For Day 2, the challenge requires you to focus on the little things. There are so many things in life that we overlook, ignore, or disregard. Sometimes this is intentional but often it is not. For instance, do you have a reliable mode of transportation? Do you have a roof over your head? Clean water? Basic food? Notice a small thing about someone you care about. Take moments today to focus on the little things that you do have. Consider the benefits these little things provide. Make a list. Appreciate the list.

The picture at the top of this post is one of those little things. I took this picture while on vacation this summer. My wife and I were walking back to our hotel after a wonderful dinner. I looked up and saw this. What a beautiful view. It’s the little things. So today, look around and see the beauty

Day 1 Gratitude Challenge

“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will – then your life will flow well.” -Epictetus

I borrowed this quote from the November 1st entry of The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living. I have enjoyed this book over the past couple of years. It offers short daily guides on stoicism and life.

The entry also sets the stage for Day 1 of the Gratitude Challenge. Often we spend much of our day hoping everything will go our way. Often it doesn’t go as planned. It’s easy to complain. It’s easy to whine. It’s easy to blame others. Yet, we ALWAYS have the choice to choose our attitude. So today, make the choice to not whine or complain. Do this all day.

When tempted by the negative, turn it into a positive. Use positive words over negative words. Thrive rather than survive. Be aware of your internal (and external) dialogue. Does this make a difference? Share your thoughts here, on Facebook, in your journal, with a friend.

Ultimately, work on feeling gratitude for what has happened to you. It made you who you are.

“Don’t be overheard complaining…Not even to yourself.”  

— Marcus Aurelius, 8.9

Mostly, I hope you have a great day.

Why Gratitude?

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

There is a lot bad and suffering in this world. There is little to nothing I can do about most of it. However, I can choose my attitude and response. Like many, my attitude and response is often less than ideal.

Over the next 30 days, I plan to post little gratitude challenges daily. Example – At least one day, I will challenge readers to pay it forward buy buying a stranger coffee or a meal. It might make you feel better and make the recipient feel even better. It would be wonderful if gratitude challenge participants posted about what they did so we can all share. Many find it helpful to to journal so write it down and see if your attitude improves.

Oh, and if the spirit moves you, hand out candy to complete strangers today.

The Week Ahead

I try to set aside time each Sunday to plan the upcoming week. This week, like most, is full of meetings and to-do lists. Halloween will soon be over and the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas steps it up. Personally, I am looking foward to A Biltmore Christmas debuting on November 26. I digress.

Since 2020, I have done a gratitude challenge in November. There is research that supports the benefits of gratitude. I have found no research that indicates gratitude causes harm. So, if you take the challenge, your worst outcome is you spend time being grateful. I have planned the first few days and will write every day in November.

Want to get started early? Write down three things you are grateful for today. Family? Food? Health? Write them down and think about them for a minute. Did you notice a change in your attitude?

Have a great week!

When the past meets the present

It has been a while since I have written here. As usual, life gets in the way and writing becomes less of a priority. I hope to change this as November is just around the corner and I am planning another 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge.

Technology is amazing. This weekend I read an article about a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who used technology to “unroll” carbonised scrolls found in the ruins of Pompeii. With the assistance of technology, we may be able to rediscover a library that is nearly 2000 years old. Perhaps we will learn about things lost to time.

In my own life, technology allows me to listen to virtually any song I want. I have thousands of movies and TV shows available at the click of a button. More importantly, technology allowed me to find my past and make it the present.

I have previously written about my adoption reunion. Technology (23&Me and Ancenstry.com) made the reunion possible. What readers may not know is that I have sister who died before I was born. My parents rarely (once or twice) talked about her. I didn’t ask. All I knew was an approximate year and location of her her birth and death. When my father passed away, my mom included my sister on their headstone.

It’s strange feeling a connection to someone you never met. Yet, I have always felt a connection. I few years ago, I used technolgoy to locate my sister. I was able to find and who died at three days old. I used findagrave.com to locate the cemetery where she was buried. I was able to use the cemetery website to locate her gravesite.

She is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. It is a beatuful cemetery located south of uptown Minneapolis next to Bde Maka Ska. “Long considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country, it was modeled after the rural cemeteries of 19th-century France, such as Père-Lachaise in Paris.”

Her grave is tucked in the south end of the cemetery near service building in a secluded area. She is buried in area with other children. In her “row” of 18 children, the oldest is 8. Eleven of the eighteen chilrden liast an age of zero. Most of the graves are unmarked (12 of 18). I have visted her gravesite several times over the past few years. It is a very peaceful but sad place.

The first time I visited, I was shocked that my sisters grave was one of the unmarked graves. Over the next few years, I wondered why my parents would not mark her grave. It bothered me. It bothered me so much that earlier this year, I contacted the cemetery about placing a headstone. After some conversations, we agreed upon a design. It is made from grantie quarried in South Dakota. I was told the earliest it would be ready would be spring of 2024. Imagine my joy last week when the cemetery sent me the picture attached to this blog post.

Soon I will visit and beable to know exactly where my sister is buried. So will others who may vist that area of the cemetery where the past meets the present.

Below are the names of the other children buried in my sisters row. I place them here to make sure they are not forgotten.

  1. ELSIE J FERGUSON
  2. BABY KNIGHT
  3. CHARLES R FOSTER
  4. ELIZABETH HOOVER
  5. FREDERICK NEWTON
  6. EARLING LUNDHIEM
  7. BABY ANDERSON
  8. JENNIE CATHERINE SAARE
  9. DOROTHY A. ROSCHE
  10. FLORENCE WILLIAMSON
  11. ROBBIN DARNELL THOMAS