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...

Elvis, Sir Isaac Brock and the Success Constant (Or The 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 Special)

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario for another week of linking the success principles demonstrated by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll to how you can implement them in your life. This week we’re going to be talking about the similarities of greatness throughout time and how it never really changes (what I like to call the Success Constant).

If you’re a history buff (or pay attention to the news), you may be aware that this Monday past, June 18, 2012, was the 200^th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812.

War of 1812 History Lesson:

If you’ve never heard of the event (a distinct possibility if you live outside of North America, where it’s often overlooked), in short: the American government, pushed by people wanting to conquer the largely unpopulated Canadian colonies (called Manifest Destiny in history classrooms) and exasperated by the British Royal Navy’s tendency to steal American sailors off American ships in the belief they were deserters (which, occasionally, they were), declared war on Britain and, therefore, Canada. Canada only had a small number of British troops (Canada was a British colony at the time), a few native warriors and some militia defending us. The war lasted about 2 ½ years, between 1812 and 1815. In the end, nobody really won; Britain (and its Canadian subjects) successfully defended their land, Britain/Canada attempted an invasion of the U.S. but were repulsed (though, we did burn down the White house). The biggest losers were the natives who didn’t gain anything but continued losing their land to the growing U.S.

End of War of 1812 History Lesson.

One of the most influential leaders of the conflict was British General Sir Isaac Brock. He was born on the isle of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands off Britain, in 1769. He became noted for his bravery, in both life and the way he died (he was shot leading a charge at the Battle of Queenston Heights in late 1812) and, a hundred-odd years later, he became one of my heroes (yep, right up there with Elvis).

With the bicentennial of the war, I see many similarities between my two idols: they were both strong leaders in their field, they had unique ways of performing, they were both soldiers at one time and, sadly, they both died young (Elvis at 42, Brock at 43).

Now, I wanted to find why both men inspired me so much in my life… and I think I figured it out: they were both so unique and successful and this made me, and others remember them. We respect them so much that we kinda want to be them.

But how does this help you?

Well, let’s make a list of some of the positive traits they demonstrated and see how they can be implemented in your life:

Strong Leaders in Their Field

Both Brock and Elvis were leaders in their field. Elvis had a cutting edge, highly energized way of performing that had never been seen before on the big time when he started in the 50’s. Brock used his bluffing and bravery to win the Siege of Detroit with barely a shot being fired, one of the first victories of the war. He won his knighthood as a result. They led the way for change and the strong, bold way they did this earned the support and respect of others. When you lead the way for positive change in your organization, respect is similarly earned for you being a leader, attempting to improve your work and move it forward to the future.

Different Ways of Performing

Brock and Elvis didn’t act the way most of their contemporaries did. Elvis wasn’t like any other rock star, more interested in the energy than the tune; he liked the music as much as he did shaking, perhaps more. Also, he really cared about his fans, paying attention to them, kissing them. He respected them so much for their support and his humility and thankfulness made him unique. Similarly, Brock wasn’t like other generals; for the man in charge of Upper Canada (present day Ontario) he cared about his men. In fact, it was perhaps this opinion that led to his untimely death at 43 − he would do anything he told his men to do, including leading a frontal assault into an enemy position.

When you do something a bit different than others in a positive way, putting in the extra effort, people notice, and they respect you for it. They respected Elvis for his appreciation of the music and his fans, they respected Brock for his love of his country, his men and the way he made them feel like his equals. That little difference goes a long way in making you seem awesome and unique, which leads to our next point…

Uniqueness

Both Brock and Elvis were, and are, looked upon as unique − Brock for his bravery at the front of a charge, Elvis for a type of passion in his music unheard of nowadays. They were originals in every sense of the word and, as such, were respected.Why do people respect originals? Perhaps because it’s hard to be one for it leads to criticism (people are jealous when others are more creative than they are). But, when done properly, it leads to better results. In a way, being a leader in your field and performing differently to your colleagues is also part of this uniqueness. People forever remember and respect those who were different simply for that − being different. Whether it be Alexander the Great, Socrates, Henry VIII, Brock or Elvis, uniqueness is why their names are in history books.

Impact

Finally, I’d like to talk about these two men's impact on the world. Brock stopped the momentum of the American invasion; it’s quite possible without his effort, Canada wouldn’t exist as it does today (with the Maple Leaf flag, anyways). Elvis created recordings that will be remembered as cutting edge with the power to make people want to hear them 50 years after being released. The impact these men had on others makes them relevant to people who otherwise wouldn’t care. And people remember them for that.

Really, the similarity between these two men, over a century apart with different professions is astonishing. Perhaps it is once more a reminder that success principles don’t change, that they remain similar through time and across professions, something I call the Success Constant. They are present as rules and can be learned if the work necessary to learn them is put in. It’s an empowering conclusion to come to.

Elvis’s Lessons:

Great men (and people in general) are similar in their success principles; success is predictable. Doing certain actions will bring you certain results. Acting a certain way will also bring you certain results, no matter what year it is or what profession you have. This is something I call The Success Constant. By being leaders in their field, performing differently, being unique and ultimately making an impact, both Brock and Elvis demonstrate the Success Constant, and they are remembered for it − two different heroes from two different times but both successful in life, and death. Take their lessons to heart.

P.S. If you're interested in seeing Elvis making an impact on his fans and the world, here's a Youtube video of him with "Blue Suede Shoes" from the '68 Comeback Special.

P.P.S. Please remember to comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com to put forward your stories, praise or constructive criticism.