Tomorrow is Thanksgiving – a wonderful holiday and my personal favorite.

And being with family is a blessing, yet it can be tricky as some rarely visited emotions may come knocking on your door.

Last year I recommended checking your ‘TUDE at the door. You can read about it by clicking here.

This year I’m suggesting an additional practice to put into place.

For one hour, do nothing but respond.

What do I mean by that? Simply, notice a reaction you are about to have to something that someone says or does and throw in the clutch and wait for a response – a different way to speak or act in that situation.

This split second of noticing and waiting will save you from fighting over more than who gets the drumstick.

We all have emotional triggers and people who know how to set them off. If you adopt the practice of noticing your normal reaction before you act it out, and then wait for a different response, you are bypassing the stimulus/reaction loop that has become hardwired over the years.

This is more than stifling yourself; it’s offering yourself the gift of free choice. That means for one hour tomorrow you won’t be a robot, unconsciously reacting to the stimuli that’s presented.

It’s a way to go deeper even with the people who are closest to you.

Getting to choose how you will respond is something to be aware of and grateful for as we head into the biggest family day of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

John