Think about it: How often do we make time, I mean really make time, to consider why we are thankful at times of difficulty, when gratitude can be so easily overwhelmed by stress?
For many, now is a time of difficulty, of division, of distress and of doubt. These are all ingredients in the social stew of the moment. But, of course, the same recipe has marked the moment many times through the years in our personal and business lives, which are intertwined in many ways.
However, to paraphrase an annual sentiment of optimism uttered often in this business: The holidays come every year. There is a genuine, often validated expectation among retailers and their suppliers that solid consumer spending during the final six weeks of each year is a given despite circumstances that might have dampened the marketplace up to that point.
It is also a sentiment that can apply beyond retail receipts, a belief and a hope that peace and prosperity are within reach. Such is the enduring promise of this season, no matter how we might choose to celebrate it and no matter what difficulty confronts us.
It can be a challenge for many to glimpse any light among stormy clouds in life and in business. But this is the time of year when looking closer and deeper can find breaks in the clouds.
In the retail business, those breaks might be measured by gains in store and online traffic the next six weeks expected by forecasters to contribute to modestly satisfying 3% to 4% year-over-year gains in holiday sales. How we measure glimmers of light on a personal level is… well, personal.
So, as we enter this critical year-end season of personal and professional assessment, perhaps everyone can benefit by allowing more gratitude to break through the stress. The holidays do, indeed, come every year… in times of prosperity and in times of difficulty. The spirit of that sentiment, like this special season, begins with thanks.
Make time to think about it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
