Day 24

I'm grateful for permission to re-post a great article from art business coach Alyson Stanfield. As far as I can see, only one might not apply to non-artists, so feel free to take notes...

Everyone is focused on gratitude for this Thanksgiving week. I'm sharing 11 ways to be grateful -- not just for this one week, but for a lifetime. If only we could remember these and make them habits.

1. Send sincere, handwritten Thank You notes whenever you can.

2. Send your Thank You notes within a week (two weeks at the latest). But better late than never!

3. Use images of your art on your Thank You notes.

4. Start most of your email responses with “Thank You” as in “Thank you for contacting me” or “Thank you for sharing your thoughts.”

5. Thank people on Twitter, Facebook, and in your blog posts whenever it’s appropriate.

6. Thank people in person by looking into their eyes–even to the clerks at the grocery store.

7. Get into the practice of writing down your gratitudes on a regular basis.

8. Stop yourself whenever you’re feeling bitter, gossipy, complain-y, or just whiny. Remember all you have to be grateful for. This is something I like to tell myself: “If this is the worst thing that happened to me today, I think I’ll be okay.”

9. Enjoy the Thanksgiving meal to its fullest–knowing that it comes around only once a year.

10. Wear pants with an elastic waist on Thanksgiving. Or don’t. Depends on your plans for after the big meal.

11. Take a walk on Thanksgiving day. Get some fresh air and exercise.

Alyson Stanfield is an artist advocate and business mentor at ArtBizCoach.com. This article was originally published in her Art Biz Insider, which is sent weekly to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription now and get Alyson's 6 free art-marketing video lessons at http://artbizcoach.com