Three Tips to Show Gratitude During the Holiday Season

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario!

Here, we link the success lessons of Elvis Presley back to your life. Today we’re going to talk about gratitude and three ways to show it to those you love at this festive time of year.

Elvis Presley was all about gratitude. Sure he had faults − we all do. But lack of thanks was not one of them. The stories of the Cadillacs he gave away to strangers are legendary. And, while in the army, the King paid thousands to refurbish his company's day room. And that's not mentioning the parties...

Gratitude is a way to show others that you are thankful for having them. And you are… aren’t you? I mean, those people are on your team and have helped you get this far. You do want their help in the future don’t you?

Is that a yes I’m hearing?

Ok, gratitude.

God knows why the Holiday season's a great time to be thankful. Perhaps because of all the presents that get circulated to family members these days. Perhaps because everyone’s celebrating the world exists and they’re on it − alive.

Regardless, if you want an excuse to be grateful (or gasp! aren’t usually grateful and, like Dicken’s Scrooge, want to clean up your act), here’s your chance.

So, let’s start with the number one holiday way to be grateful.

Cards

Knew I was going to say that one, didn’t you? Well, so what if it’s predictable. It works. And it’s becoming a lost art. Because of email and Facebook and Twitter, everyone is only interested in cyber "thank you's". Well, sure that’s nice. But it lacks the personality of a hand signed card, sent through the mail with a stamp in the upper right-hand corner. Cards are the easiest way to thank those important people in your life without having your house foreclosed on in the process.

Small Gifts

Notice the ‘small’ on front of that? Sure, Elvis gave away Cadillacs, but he also had a larger gross income than you probably do. I didn’t want to put this in because the holidays are meant to be a spiritual time, even if they're highly commercialized. But, heck, in our society, people do tend to appreciate gifts, especially if it’s something they’ll use. Now, watch what I’m going to say carefully: you don’t have to give out expensive things to make people’s day. I know you should know this, but you might forget it. If everytime you go to your friend’s place they can’t find a pen, give them a pack of pens (or a cup to store pens in). If they read a lot but complain they can’t read in bed, give them a booklight. If you’ve got the means, record them a version of you singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. I use the free recording program Audacity (Here's a link to their site, if you're interested). Buy a cheap mic and you're set (give me an email at alexghilson@gmail.com if you want to take that on but aren't sure how).

The point is people, the good ones who’ve saved your thumbs the last year or ten, will appreciate the thought out gifts you give them. Even if it wasn’t from American Eagle and cost under $100.

Meeting Up/ Parties

My personal favourite. Now look, this doesn’t have to be hard. You write an email, or pick up a phone or whatever and ask the guy on the other end if they’re available at this place and time and whether they’d like to meet up and chat. They say yes or no. If they say no, you offer a different date. If they say yes, you look both ways and do a happy dance.

Alternatively, you ask a bunch of friends over to your house (or a booked, outside place) at this date and time, the same way you’d ask them if they were by themselves. If they can’t make it, you wish them a Merry Christmas and move on to the next person. If they all can’t make it, you change the date.

When you've got people coming, you buy a cake, some biscuits, vegetables and coffee. If you can get someone to play some Christmas guitar (or other musical instrument), you get them. You can also add a board game if you have one you want to try. Then, you get together and have a ball.

The greatest asset you have is time. You lose all your money, you can earn it back. You get to the end of your life, you’re done. No pleading out of that one. Busy people with meaningful lives realize this. They realize putting your time aside to make them happy is the greatest show of gratitude there is. And they return the favour by giving their time to see you.

 

Elvis’s Lessons:

Gratitude is important, and Elvis Presley showed it magnificently. When people realize how much they’re appreciated in your life, they’ll want to help you again the next time. And I’m sure you won’t complain about that. My top three ways for make people feel the love at this time of year is by giving cards, small presents, or meeting up/ holding a party. Good luck with the results; I can’t wait to hear your success stories!

P.S. If you’d like to hear Elvis singing If Everyday Was Like Christmas, here’s a Youtube video of it.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like these other FR.EE posts:

• Elvis's Olympic Team
• The Respectful Parting
• Elvis and the Photographer
• Here's To Thanksgiving Day
• Life's a Haunted House

Here's to Thanksgiving Day, Time to Eat, Love and Play

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for linking the success lessons of Elvis Presley back to your own life. Today, we'll be talking about, what else, Thanksgiving!

This is a little strange for me - up here in Canada, Thanksgiving's always in October. But, given my larger American base, I figured I postpone this post until your one came along.

Thanksgiving is different depending on the country you celebrate it in. In Canada, apparently it could date to when Martin Frobisher landed in Hudson's Bay back in 1572. He had a meal of thanks for the survival of his crew after their long journey. Another story is the settlers Samuel de Champlain brought with him to the Canadian province of Quebec started it with a successful harvest.  In the U.S., the Plymouth story is the most well known, when Pilgrims in modern-day Massachusetts had a meal of thanks, also to celebrate a good harvest. Their feast became annual and turned into Thanksgiving. Elsewhere, such as the U.K., the idea morphs into Harvest Festival, which farmers would celebrate for a good crop.

All in all, the message remains the same - be grateful.

Nothing like a basic concept to catch on. Yet, Thanksgiving so often becomes an expression for different activities - football, family, dinners. Those are great, but one must remember to be grateful for those things and not take them for granted.

"Yea, yea," you say. Your parents used to tell you to  be thankful for your food cause the kids in Africa didn't have it. Then your teachers told you to be grateful for having such an incredible education system (what did they expect? That you'd suddenly like math homework). Gratitude, like many good things, probably has a pretty poor connotation in your books.

And I don't blame you. I never took the word too seriously either. It's long, it's hard to say and it never used to mean much to me.

But then something happened. I don't recall what it was - maybe when I read my first self-development book, Dr. Robert Schuller's You Can Be the Person You Want to Be. Or when, after years of heartbreak, I finally learnt how to ride a bike. But suddenly, gratitude became so important.

I recall being told that gratitude simply meant great attitude. And really, when you're grateful, everything seeems better. It's like something that was ok for years, maybe brushing your teeth, maybe Mum's pea soup, all of a sudden tastes ten times better. Heck, even holidays like Thanksgiving seem better than before. Why? God knows. Perhaps you just appreciate it more than you used to.

Now let's look at our friend Elvis Presley. He was grateful, had a great attitude, and it doesn't take much for  someone who didn't even know him to tell. I mean, look at his shows. He's always thanking people, shaking their hands and kissing them. You don't do that unless you really appreciate someone, unless you're really grateful they're your fan.

And then, there's that smile. It doesn't matter when you see him in his life or where - whether it was during the Ed Sullivan show, on a movie set, after the '68 Comeback Special or three months after his divorce. He was always beaming. You see, when you're really grateful you can't contain it. It's like a force just trying to burst out of your system. And when it does, it does it in different ways. The most notable one is smiling. But, it also reflects in your body language, in what you say, in how you perform. I mean, wouldn't it be great to do a better job at work simply because you enjoy life more? It's a win win situation.

Furthermore, Elvis gave back. Wait a second, you're thinking. Isn't gratitude about being glad about receiving? Well, yes. But it also makes you want to give back, to make other people happy. To make them feel gratitude, too. Because when they're happy as well, they're gonna make you feel even happier and then you're gonna make them feel happier and then they'll make you happier and then you'll make them happier and then - I think you get the point.

But how do you get a great attitude?

My number one tip is to make a list about all the great things that happen in your life. The easiest way is to write three things that you're glad happened in your life everyday - a journal.

Another way is think about why you're glad you know somebody. It can be a parent, a teacher, a boss, a friend, a cashier at the local market. All that matters is you think, "Why do I like this person?" The answers will make you happy. And the best part? You can go out and tell that person later and make them feel better, too!

Thanks so much for reading, have a frickin' awesome Thanksgiving, enjoy the football, enjoy the family, enjoy the food and see you next week for the start of our Christmas series!

Elvis's Lessons:

Remember to be grateful, to have a great attitude. It's the name of the Thanksgiving season after all. But too many people forget this. Elvis was grateful. He loved his fans, smiled and gave back to the community. To build your gratitude muscles, you can write a short journal everyday or think of why you love somebody - and then tell them!

Have a great Thanksgiving and see you next week for the start of our Christmas series!

P.S. If you like this post, drop a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com. I'd love to meet you and discuss this post over this Thanksgiving weekend.

P.P.S. If you're interested seeing Elvis singing a song of gratitude, here he is with a version of "How Great Thou Art".

If you like this post, you might also like these other FR.EE Graceland Ontario posts:

• Elvis and the Photographer: A Story of Gratitude
• Cool Down!
• Life's a Haunted House and We're all In It
• Getting Into It
• Getting Others to Believe in You (the Elvis Way)
• Doing All You Can

Elvis Presley Would've Made a Poor President

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for linking the life lessons of the King back to your own future. Today we're going to talk about the other week’s American election. And by the end, even you'll be saying how Elvis, despite his popularity and royal status, could never have made a good president.

So, as most of you probably know (especially you American readers), President Barack Obama made a successful return to office, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Here comes another fours years of stability.

 

And given the hugeness of the American elections, I couldn’t help link the hype up to my favourite American. That's right - Elvis.

Elvis is an American icon. He stood for what American's pride themselves on - sexual energy, charm, fun, strength, a nice smile. He's one of the U.S.'s best beloved citizens.

 

Bu the more I think about it, the more I think he would've sucked as a President.

"But why? If he's the perfect American and the presidency is the summit for a citizen trying to shape his country, surely Elvis would've made a great President."

Well maybe, at first. But after a while it would've all turned sour. I mean, besides the bad press politicians tend to get (which just sucks in selling records and movies), Elvis would've been penne pasta in a bowl of horseshoes.

You see, Elvis was all about change. You can look at any part of his 23 year long career and it would've looked different to the rest. Sure, there are some similarities between certain years, say 1957 and 1958. But take a good look and you'll realise Elvis wasn't the same. He'd augmented his look, his hair, his music, his clothes. He was a constantly changing kaleidoscope of a person. He never did something exactly the same way twice, and that applied to just about everything in his life.

 

Who knows why he was like this. Maybe it was because he was a bit hyperactive (I mean, have you seen him dance?!) and maybe it was because his manager Colonel Parker was always there to push him in a different direction. But, he certainly never sat in the same spot too long.

From a glance, one would think that Elvis's love of change would've made him perfectly suited to the presidency. Heck, isn't change the point of being the country's CEO? Seeing what’s wrong with things and trying to change them for the better?

 

But the more I look at the election and government in general (unless you live in Sierra Leone), the more I see the point of the presidency and government is to create consistency rather than unpredictably, smoothness rather than insanity.

Whatever the new Obama administration does, it will likely not be radical compared to past changes. I mean, the government of the U.S. does move a little - they never used to have healthcare until the last couple years (though, even that was heavily opposed). But most of the time, you'll hear the same things about presidents - some people love 'em for doing one thing or standing for another and the rest hate 'em for not doing something or opposing something else. There will be wars, there will be suffering and who gets blamed? The guy at the top. The CEO. The President.

 

This lack of change to me seems a reflection of the government's role - to represent the people. Most people don't like change; they're set in their ways. They wonder why change is necessary and are scared when it occurs. And, even when it would be in their interest to do something differently, they'll hide from the idea because they're worried about what the end will bring about.

You notice the other thing about most people - they're not rich, they're not famous, they're not happy and they're not successful.

Now, maybe change didn't get Elvis where he was but it helped. Had he not changed, he would've found himself kicked out by his competition long ago. I mean, not too many fifties stars kept charting hits after the Beatles and the British Invasion came along. That is, except the King. He'd changed so drastically between what he had been a decade before and what he was then he was still able to create interest in his name. And, therefore, his career survived.

So, the government is static, Elvis changed. The government represents a largely unhappy group of people, Elvis was successful. Barack Obama may or may not be a good president, Elvis likely wouldn't have.

 

But, whatever the government does, you still have a choice. You can change like Elvis, given the benefits it offered him, or be like an average Joe - and take all that comes with that, too. You can keep reinventing yourself, living your life on the line so whenever people talk to you, you always sparkle like new, or you can do the same thing day in and day out and take the mediocrity that can bring.

You can be a good President, acting similarly term after term, accepting what is, or you can be like Elvis, like the King. And surf the wave of change that he did, the wage of success.

 

Elvis's Lessons:

Elvis Presley probably wouldn't have made a good President. Presidents maintain the status quo, Elvis was constantly in change. But the President reflects the will of the people and most people don't like change either. Neither are they successful. Elvis took change, reinventing himself so his career could survive even when the British Invasion influenced the musical landscape forever.  You can be a good President and stay the same or you can be like the King and change - staying the same is easier but you've got to pay a price for inertia. And those dollars are made of success. The choice is yours.

P.S. Remember to leave a comment below this post or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com to talk about this post. I'd be glad to discuss its content with you.

P.P.S. If you're interested in listening to Elvis from one of his most different movies, here's a Youtube video of him singing “Change of Habit”.

If you like this update, you might also like these other FR.EE Graceland Ontario posts:

• The Elvisian Diamond Jubilee Special 
• Move On When It's Time
• 35 Years Without Elvis (And Why He's So Popular Today) 
• High Expectations
• Elvis, Sir Isaac Brock and the Success Constant 
• He Who Does Not Sympathize, Loses...

They Gave Then, Now It's Your Turn

 

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for connecting the success advice of Elvis Presley back to your own life. With Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the U.S., and with Elvis being a soldier, we're going to talk about service and belief, two traits demonstrated by serving one's country.

To recap the old story, on November 11th 1918, on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th hour, an armistice was signed ending the Great War, the largest war in human history. After four hard years, it was time to look at the future and rebuilding. But simply forgetting the sacrifice shown in those years was inconceivable, so afterwards people started 'remembering' on ‘armistice day’. Of course, we should thank those who fell all year 'round and we do. But this day gets their full attention. 

Not twenty years after the armistice was signed, the man with the funny moustache and not-so funny ideals took over Germany. The previous armistice had hurt the country much and made their people angry. All it took was one man to chew up all the work done after the war aimed at creating a more peaceful world. He started a war even larger than the first, even more terrifying. By its end, the world had seen atomic weapons and suffered like few people now can imagine.

For years after the end of the second war, countries including the U.S., the U.K. and Australia had mandatory conscription. And, in 1958, Elvis Presley, perhaps the most well known rock star in the world, was called upon to do his time.

And he did. In 1960, he was honourably discharged as a sergeant. It blows my mind how a man of his influence, who could have got out of his service easily, decided to stick with it. To me, it shows traits we should all demonstrate, traits not only Elvis but all those who served before and since him have shown to survive their time in the armed forces.

Service to the community

The first is service to the community. Now, a community can be defined as a group of people anywhere in size from a classroom to a country, including the world as a whole. In a way, it’s a living organism, constantly in flux and impacted by the actions of those making it up.

In Elvis's case, it would've been much easier and perhaps preferable for him to get out of his regular service by performing, as he'd done before entering the army. Elvis had a public service type of job to start with and many might have excused his swimming away from his draft because of this. But Elvis decided to support his country the way all young Americans at that time did − by serving.

A lot of people fall into the trap of dieing behind their front door. In other words, they never do anything outside their own home unless someone forces them to do it - like going out to get groceries or work. They cut themselves off from not only society but also their neighbours. The lack of bond between them and everyone they live by destroys the dynamic of their neighbourhood - a real community survives by caring for one another, by love. Pogoing away from this excludes them from being a real part of the body.

But soldiers, they go all out. They not only become part of the community, they leave their homes to meet citizens from all over the country, the larger community. And they do this, in Elvis's case anyways, to do their part in making their country a safer place. He was being paid chocolate almonds compared to what he'd been getting on stage, but by serving he got a feeling that he'd helped a little and acted on the same level as all his fans (and, as a side note, they were impressed with him for it).

You don't have to serve in the army to serve your community. There's always volunteer work to be done. But a lot of people say, 'why should I have to do that if I'm not being paid?"

In short, because it boosts your confidence. You feel you're capable of making a change. You make connections that can move over into your business life. You give of yourself to others who can't give themselves. And because of that, you're increasing the quality of life for everyone in the community. And remember what I said about the community being an organism? The better the community is, the better everyone in the community is. And that includes you.

And besides, if Elvis and all those millions of people who served in the wars and beyond could give of their time and lives for others, why shouldn't you?

 

Belief in the future

Whenever someone serves in the army, it shows a belief in what their community and to a larger extent their country, the places that make up that army, stand for. A lot of people point out the wrongs the government does against its people. And it’s true. Heck, the propaganda thrown up at people during the Great War was bordering on being a full out lie at times.

But those who did fight did it for the people at home. The ones they loved and oftentimes lost.

To last in the worst of conditions, you have to fight for something. Sometimes for yourself but, for me anyways, it's easier to motivate myself by believing I'm doing something great for others. That belief alone can get me through the job.

Elvis and the veterans of the wars had to think they were giving their lives for something worthwhile. You don't just walk up in front of machine gun otherwise (unless you're severely depressed and I'd guess at least some of people who die in action aren't).

That belief in the future, in those around you, in your neighbours is something that is often forgot now, at least in my neighbourhood. With social media, we're closer than ever and there're more of us than at any other time. Yet, we don't tend to believe in the future and those around us.  People don't take care of themselves and the world because they feel they won't be here long enough for it to matter. That selfish kind of thinking damages everything and everyone.

You show belief in others through acting with kindness (as Elvis did), through smiling (yep, Elvis did that, too), by joking around and having a good time with others (umm yea, Elvis did that as well). You show belief in others by serving them, which makes them feel like a freshly polished dress shoe. And because they're happy, you feel even better. And if the point of living isn't to feel happy and have a good life, then I don't know what is.

Have a great Remembrance/ Veterans Day and see you next week! And if you are a veteran from ANY conflict, serving any nation, let me take this sentence and post to thank you for all you did. It took guts and I, as well as anyone with an inch of gratitude, am moved by your actions.

Elvis's Lessons:

Elvis was a soldier. In the spirit of Remembrance Day, we talked about a couple of the most noble traits of the soldier: giving to the community and believing in the future. When you follow these traits, you create a greater community feeling which make everyone feel happier. And since one of the main goals of living is to be happy, it seems like a good deal for everyone involved.

P.S. If you'd like to see Elvis singing a hit that came out while he was in the army, here's a Youtube video of him with “I Need Your Love Tonight”.

P.P.S. Please remember to leave a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com. I'd be glad to talk with you about anything that's on your mind.

If you like this post, you might also like these other Graceland Ontario posts:

• Service Pays Dividends
• Elvis and the Photographer: A Story of Gratitude
• The July 4th Special (Or July 1st for Us Canadians…)
• Give Back
• Doing All You Can
• Elvis Presley meets Usain Bolt: Do You Use THIS the Way They Do?

Your Life Is a Jagged Line

 

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location in linking the success lessons of Elvis Presley back to your own life. Today, we’ll be talking about those ups and downs, the jagged lines, which tend to surface in all our lives and how best to deal with them.

If you look at your productivity in the short term, you’re looking at a jagged line. Some days you do well, others poorly. Sometimes you’re inspired, others you don’t know where to start. But, that doesn’t really matter. We all lose a little loss once in a while. All that matters is the long term.

 

At my blog, Graceland Ontario (yep, that’s right − here), the day to day views are scattered − I’ve seen 49 views a day and as few as zero, even now it’s more established. But, the long term is all that matters, and it shows a very different picture. As long as you produce as much as you can everyday, you can look at a steady increase. Despite all those jagged lines Graceland Ontario in the long term has been growing exponentially. And this type of growth is everywhere, it’s a pattern, and therefore it’s useful to watch out for.

Look at friends − you gain one here, you lose one there. You meet somebody at the bus stop, someone’s killed in a car accident. It’s another jagged line. But as long as you continue to meet people, you’re going to see it steady out in the long term and you’ll eventually have more friends than you’ll lose − you’ll create a steady gain over time.

Now, let’s move back to Elvis Presley, particularly his early chart successes.

 

Elvis started from nothing in the early mid-50’s at Sun. But by 1955, he’d become one of their biggest names. In late 1955, he was sold to RCA for more than anyone else in the business, including Sinatra, was worth. Then, in ’56 he’d flunked in Las Vegas and brought out Heartbreak Hotel, which’s different sound made RCA think they’d bought an expensive flop. More jagged lines. But overall, his RCA LP, Elvis Presley, was a major success. Soon enough he wasn’t only a big music star, he was also topping in the movies. And that’s not mentioning all the times he ended up on television in that 1956, alone! Whether you look at his Hollywood career or his passage into Las Vegas, you can still see those jagged lines. But even when he lost something, he gained something else − his marriage broke up, but he played the first International concert. He had his last top 10 hit, but he broke records in Vegas. All those jagged lines, those ups and downs, built up overall, like my blog, Graceland Ontario, like your friend count. So, when Elvis passed away in 1977, many people looked back at a successful career despite the criticism he received over more jagged lines (his increased weight).

 

As in the stock market, it's very hard to only gain. You tend to lose a little over time. The key is not to worry about it but enjoy those descents. You know everything that goes down will come up again when you’re doing a half decent job (notice I say when you’re doing a half decent job − can’t always speak for the stock market, though). What ever anybody else says, those jagged lines aren’t down to stay. They’ll work their way up again, and you’ll make all the people who said they wouldn’t and freaked out at the first sign of a downturn look like idiots. And then, in years to come, when you’ve put in the best work you can and consistently attempted to make those jagged lines change, you’ll look only at a gradual climb. Those jagged lines add up to a mountain with persistence. And, as David Deangelo says, Persistence is the price of success.

 

Elvis’s Lessons:

Your life is full of jagged lines. It’s not your fault, they’re just there. But, it’s ok − they’re in my blog, too, and most people’s friend counts, and Elvis’s career. They tell you despite what you gain, you’ll probably lose along the way, too. Again, relax. As long as you continue to work, moving forward, those jagged lines will work their way up again, too. Even when others freak out and say they won’t, they will. They do for me, they did for Elvis, they will for you. Persistence will get you over the bumps those jagged lines make. And then, in the future, when you look back, all you’ll see is a steady incline. That’s a successful life, my friend, not a fairy tale.

P.S. If you’d like to see Elvis singing, here’s a Youtube video of him with “ Datin’ ” from the movie, Paradise, Hawaiian Style. I’d never heard this one before…

P.P.S. If you liked this post (or if you *gasp* didn’t), remember to leave a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com. I’d be glad to reply to whatever you have to say (unless you start spouting Nazi propaganda on me… but then again, you probably won’t).

If you liked this post, you might also like these other FR.EE Graceland Ontario updates:

• The Time Trap
• Strange And Wonderful Things 
• Accept it How It Is
• Traits of the Superhero 
• Doing All You Can