(In case you saw the original title of this post “Happy Thanksgiving 2009”, there’s a simple explanation. I had just finished Thanksgiving dinner and sat down on the couch to hurriedly type this post. Apparently all that turkey tryptophan got to my brain, because I forgot what year it was and didn’t realize it until the comments started coming in 😉 )
I try to avoid making the cliché “holiday blog posts”. After all, do you really need to read ANOTHER sappy “I’m so thankful for…” article?
And in the Internet marketing world the way it usually works is the marketer says… Happy thanksgiving, now go buy this.
The fact is, I am incredibly grateful for my life and the people in it. But I’ll spare you the stereotypical thanksgiving “stuffing”, because I want to do something a little different.
First, I want everyone who reads this newsletter to know that I’m thankful for YOU. Without you, Eric’s Tips wouldn’t exist.
Here’s a FREE small gift as a token of my appreciation. It’s an ebook called Firesale Profits Revealed. I’ve made tens of thousands of dollars from quick little firesales, so this ebook talks about how to do it (Note: I didn’t write it… it was ghost written)…
Click Here to Download Now (Includes Master Resale Rights)
It also comes with Master Resale Rights and a full sales page for you to sell it from. Here’s the rights…
[YES] Can resell it and keep 100% of the profits
[YES] Can sell resale rights
[YES] Can give it away
[YES] Can bundle with other products
[YES] Can use as bonus
[YES] Can add to membership site
[NO] Includes Private Label Rights
Second, instead of making a huge list of things I’m thankful for, I want to know what YOU are thankful for. Please post in the comments below what you are thankful for.
UPDATE:
Thank you so much to every one who posted a comment below. Many of them brought tears to my eyes. I’m sure the comments have touched and inspired hundreds of people who have read through them.
I honestly did not know what to expect. I knew I would get some comments, but the depth and sincerity of them really surprised me, particularly in light of the difficult time the world is currently going through.
Thank you for reminding me that the difficult times reveal to us what we have to be thankful for.
There were so many great comments… honorable mentions include Michael Robinson, Keith, Michaela, Ron, Simon W Rosenberg DMD, Ray, Pete Bass, Glenn Hughes, Carol Huskison, and too many others to mention them all.
My “runner up” would be Scott, whose website is Ask the Wealth Squad, who said:
I am thankful for
The pain I sometimes wake up to make me enjoy the freedom of pain.
My divorce for making me realize what was missing in my life – a strong relationship with God and his son Jesus
My recent layoff from work which gave me time to think about what I wanted to do with my life when I grow up (Currently age 40 but not wanting to grow up just yet)
The recent drop in the stock market as it created the realization that invested in ourselves in the best stock to buy.
The courts for granting me custody of my wonderful son 13 years ago.
My parents for feeding me while I am laid off
My years of plenty and God’s wisdom to store some wealth so that I can live for a bit without worry.
The worry that comes from that time I can live on my savings which gives me courage to do something new.
My friends and family for doubting me when I was young as it gave me the strength to succeed.
My dogs who love me no matter what the world does.
The USA and the opportunities it brings to anyone who is willing to work and sacrifice.
Our soldiers who have died protecting those rights.
The 2nd Amendment which protects us from our government reaching too far.
The Constitution and the brilliance it brings to our lives.
Austrian economics to understand business cycles and realize that this too shall pass.
Your website and the generosity you show – and the realization that you can be focused on doing good in the world and making a profit at it.
The interest and the ease of access to information to see how the world really works.
My travels overseas to fully understand how different our country is.
For my website which is still a work in progress – so this post has to stir me to action to finish it 🙂
For God sending his son to suffer and die for me.
For every breath
For every step
For every tear
For every pain
For every fear
For every doubterFor without struggle how can we say we have overcome? How can we know victory without knowing loss?
We fail not when we fall but when we don’t get up.
Scott
For the “winning” comment, I am choosing Kathryn Duerst, whose comment embodies the spirit of thankfulness. Thank you for reminding me to take a second look to see the divine.
Kathryn said,
Gratefulness is the ability to see the good in every circumstance, as even the hard times and trials are intended by God to shape us into His beautiful image and build our character. This is what I have heard all my life, but it does not come naturally without the practice of seeing as He sees. At first glance, I see the human side only, and it takes a second look to see the divine.
At first glance, I see the folks I care for at my jobs, elderly and handicapped people, and I think how difficult it must be for them to live in a body that does not perform as one wishes it could. Then I recall my training, that these people are gifted and special, and I am to come alongside as a friend, enjoying them and the value they contribute to my life. They do not want pity.
Seeing the one who has his feeding through a tube, I am grateful I can taste food and feel it going down my throat. Seeing the one who depends on me to be his eyes, I relish the many beautiful colors, shapes, lights, and bright eyes I can see. Seeing those who must move slowly in a wheelchair or with a cane, I exult in my bouncing steps down the hallway to answer the next call. These people make me know how good I have it.
And I wonder, if I was in their situation, would I be as pleasant? The blind man is so full of stories, memories from almost a century of life. He is one of my favorite people.
The one who gets a tube feeding every morning is so sweet and cooperative as I brush his teeth, lift him to his bath, and pour rinse water over his head; he trusts me completely. What faith! He seems grateful to have me there to help. I get to feel very needed and useful.
Then I think how much we all depend on each other. I depend on people like Eric to teach me everything about Internet marketing; without a mentor, I would be very handicapped online. I am so grateful there are people with a spirit of giving, to help me see hope in my circumstances. They breathe the divine viewpoint into my perspective.So I am not just a struggling laborer, working for ten dollars an hour, 60 hours a week, a single parent of seven, wondering when I will get my lucky break. I am part of a divine drama in which God has me and others doing whatever most demonstrates His love to one another each moment.
I am grateful I can serve and help the people I care for, and I am grateful I have some time left over after all the hours I put in at work to pay the bills, so I can be with my family a little while, and I can work online, too, for the day my online business will free me to be wherever I am needed most, just because I want to be.
This evening, I am spending the time with my family and the family of my daughter’s fiancé, and I have a few days off before the wedding to prepare for it. I feel incredibly blessed to enjoy this special time and relish it, because in a few days, the happy couple will be moving 2000 miles away, and I will be working hard to be able to afford to visit them whenever I want to. Gratefulness makes the most of what I have now, and it sees the potential in the future. I am grateful for these blessings.
Kathryn from Minnesota
I will be mailing Kathryn the Traffic Stampede course as a prize.
Although the contest is over, it’s not too late to post your comment of thankfulness. I know I will return to this page for inspiration when I’m feeling discouraged. You might want to bookmark it and do the same.
Have a great day and a happy Thanksgiving!
It seems like the “it is better to give than to receive” it works always, not just one day of the year.
Happy late Thanksgiving Eric. I always enjoy your tips.
Thanks!
I am thankful my son spent the past 10 days with his dad before being deployed to the Middle East; I am thankful he is a Christian.
I am thankful for a new President and the hope for America.
I am thankful for great friends, family and good health.
Hi Eric, I am still laughing. I thank GOD for people like you. You have put a smile on a lot of people faces. I am voting for “Connie” I hope she win your contest. I enjoy being in your class. I do not think I will ever be a “internet guru”. I am thankful to GOD that HE has given us all a gift for his glory. I’m learning a lot on the jouney to find out what GOD want me to do and be for HIM. Thank you Eric for helping me see more clearly what my gift really is. May GOD bless us all. Connie is the one that wrote about us not being the turkey. You are in my prayers, Sandra
When I look at the strife and suffering around the world I realize how fortunate we are to live in a society that has no reason to complain whatsoever about anything. No matter how bad things might seem, it all pales in comparison, be ever so thankful.
I’m thankful that “God Bless America” is and, hopefully, will always be part of this great nation.
Hi Eric:
I am very thankful for good health, friends, family but most of all for what God has done for me. I am truly blessed. My youngest brother just passed away because of an alcohol addiction but I am thankful to God that He gives me peace and joy.
Thank you for trying to help other people. We need more people like you who want to bless others.
I am thankful for this entire year of trying to make money online my computer has not had any problems!!
and health as I have sacrificed everything to make my online journey successful!
God has given us the ability to create wealth, so that His kingdom can be established here on earth!
I am thankful for the opportunity to make a living doing what I want to do, where I want to do it. I’m thankful for the opportunity to grow my business by tapping into the online and offline mentoring that I can find with internet searches and also by simply going to my local bookstore. Most importantly, I am thankful for the joy of having both of my parents still alive on this earth and sharing their love with my kids.
I am most thankful for what I have learned throughout my life. Because with that knowledge, I can help other people in countless ways.
You can get anything you want in life as long as you help enough others get what they want.
I am thankful to our Father in heaven for His wonderous creation and this experience we call life. I am very grateful for His plan of salvation and I am thankful beyond words for the sacrifice made by the Holy Lamb of God.
I am thankful for those that reflect the love of God in their lives with their selfless acts of compassion. And of course I am thankful for the undeserved blessings in my life.
Praise and blessings, love and gratitude to the God of Abraham, the God of Israel in the name of our Lord Jesus.
I am thankful to be able to see the wonderment in my two year old daughters eyes when she looks out at the world.
Happiness, sadness, joy or pain. Every moment should be seen as a gift. The greatest gift is life itself.
Simply amazing.
Hi! I post a question on my blog:
What Do You Want To Learn About Affiliate Marketing?
Be part of the conversation and leave me a comment.
http://michaelacernescu.com
Regards Michaela
I am thankful for my children, my husband, my parents, and their wonderful health. I am bountifully blessed because I have them.
I am thankful for everything I experience in this life and the way the Lord use that to shape and form me into something much better than what I am. I am what I am by the grace of God but if I experience pain, suffering and humiliation, especially if for his sake, I know that the Lord values my life and have a special purpose for me and he is shaping me so that that I could become more like him.
I am thankful that my sister in law got sick and came ot live with us just as I retired. I am thinkful that there is a sink full of dishes for me to do when my wife wakes up from her nap. I am thankful my wife lost her 27 year career with Hanes Underwear when they moved the plant over seas. I am thankful my sister in law and wife both wanted a puppy and now neither one of them pays it any mind.
I am thankful for all the above because:
1. My sister in law is funny and nice to have around
2. My wife was able to leave a job she didn’t like anymore and go to school and become a cosmetologist and do something she loves.
3. I am thankful for a sink full of dishes because that means we had wonderful Thanksgiving meal (not crazy about doing the dishes though)
4. I am thankful for a dog no one loves but me cause I have another buddy who doesn’t bug me to get stuff done except feed her.
So no matter the circumstances I have a lot to be thankful for. Let alone for a strong military who acts with honor. For living in the United States where despite our problems it’s great to be free.
I am grateful for good health and being able to survive in these hard times.
i am very thankfull because people like you exist to impact lives on earth.
Hi Eric,
I am so thankful we have been blessed to live in these abundant times, regardless of the challenges we may be facing. I choose to look at the good, what is possible, the light that shines in each of us.
Thanks for being a star in the sky!
Matt
http://www.PositivelyMary.com/TrueColors-Resources.htm
I am thankful that we as a nation have come together and elected a president with a vision to make this nation one that we can all be truly proud of again.
Hi Eric,
I’m thankful that you “give back” by trying to help “the little guy” get established online.
I am thankful for much. God has blessed me beyond measure. He has carried me thru it all, abuse, divorce, single-parenting, re-birth, death, illness, and defeat on many levels. However, no matter what fiery dart the enemy throws, I have been protected under the shelter of his wing. He lifts me up to higher places every time. I am thankful for people, like you who are not afraid to plant positive seeds and to share them with others. I thank you for the gift of your time and expertise. Reaping what we sow is the one of the biblical principles that works for anyone, saved or not. Well done, good and faithful servant. May God richly bless you all this holiday season!
Hi Eric:
I am thankful for honesty and integrity, like yours! I appreciate that! I am thankful for our soldiers, our free country, and the REAL truth that sets us free in Jesus, our Savior. I am soooo looking forward to a perfect eternity with Him, because things in this life seem so serious, that they just can’t be important. This is a time for practice and preparation for eternity! Thanks, Eric. God be with you!
Eric, I wish you and your family a happy delayed Thanksgiving; thanks for all your great tips and advises. Blessings and a lot of laughter through the whole year to you and your family. Franz
Hi Eric;
I wish you and your family a happy belated Thanksgiving. Thanks for all the great tips and advises. Blessings and a lot of laughter in your family, Franz
First of all I want to thank you for your gift and I want to thank the LORD JESUS for bring me back home from IRAQ where I escape death almost 4 times.I’am a born again christan after living the high life as a muslim.I love JUSES and I think it was the best decision over to convert to christanity.GOD is good and I thank Him for someone like you.There is not to many marketers that give GOD the glory like you.Keep on the good work and faith because as the Bible said they complement each other.GOD bless you brother and bless your heart!
I am most thankful for my family and the good health they have. We are struggling financially so I am trying to learn the internet business to help but nothing would replace my family members.
Thanks Eric for all your fantastic tips!
For the many years I was lucky enough to have with my wanderful father and the years I have ahead with my fantastic partner.
This comment is not relevant to your Thanksgiving post but I can’t find another place to enter a comment. I am interested in the featured program you list about The Arbitrage Conspiracy. This looks like an excellent opportunity for those of us that are getting started and don’t have a product. How ever when looking at the CPA network sites they seem to be looking for marketers that already have a very active web site or a large mailing list. In fact the impression given by reviewing the sites is that unless you have one of those, don’t bother.
I understand more information is on the way but in the mean time can you shed any light on the process or the steps needed to get started.
Comment on Arbitrage Conspiracy: I was introduced to the concept by a friend a few months ago.
I find most of the CPA offers that I was able to check out to be extremely shallow and of little real worth. In fact the Arbitrage Conspiracy author actually acknowledges the fact when he refers to the millions of newbies on the internet “who often get very excited when they see these types of offers. They have no resistance, their scepticism is almost zero.”
I believe you could possibly rake in the millions following their advice, but not in a way that actually adds value to the www or to peoples lives in general. It seems to me a scheme built around the philosophy that it is OK to take advantage of people’s inner tendency towards greed and towards the idea of getting something for nothing. I don’t think that is wise.
Just my 2c…
thank you Eric for this gift…you’re the best
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all.Enjoyed the post. Much success to everyones endeavor.
My one and only grandchild is very far away and I have not seen him for 3 years now.
I am so thankful for the first year and a half of his life we could spend together.
I am very thankful for the “surrogate” grandchildren I have in my own country. Children who beg their mommies to come and visit me. I adore children, they make my day when I receive a sweet, sweet smile.
I am most thankful to God for giving me this great love for children and for allowing me to be a grandma to those who need a grandma sometimes.
Wow. I’m glad I came to see this post so late, it gave me the opportunity to read through hundreds of comments from people with grateful, thankful hearts.
Spiritually:
I’m thankful for the love and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Personally:
I’m grateful I was born the child of loving parents. Thankful to have married a wonderful man who is a true life partner and has poured himself into raising our children with me.
Professionally:
I’m thankful for my job/business/ministry. Running my own online business has enabled me to use my talents, abilities and experiences to bring hope and help to so many overwhelmed people.
It brings me so much joy to know that every day, God uses the work of my hands to save people’s time, energy and money. I’m filled with gratitude that God has put me in a position to be able to provide the WorkingMom checklists, coupons and tools free of charge, without squeeze pages or anything else that would annoy me. I’m grateful that miraculously, I somehow earn a good living online treating everybody who stumbles across my site the way I want to be treated.
Yes, there is much to be thankful for. Five (soon to be six) healthy children, a nice home, wonderful husband, health, strength and a good job that makes a difference in the lives of millions of people…
THANKS BE TO GOD.
-Sabrina
Congratulations to both Kathryn and Scott. What fantastic posts. Eric thanks to you for running this contest. I didn’t post anything, but I enjoyed reading them. Many of the posts humbled me. And I didn’t envy you picking a winner! Thanks for all you do and for the Arbitrage Conspiracy recomendation. It sounds cool!
Even though we don’t celebrate thanksgiving in South Africa, we should celebrate all the blessings in our life on a regular basis. Thanks for the free gift too, Eric.
Dear Eric,
It doesn’t need a genius,wise nor a rich man or both to reach this at point or portion to you at this unforgetable moment upon reading Scott and kathryn. Your goodness, sacrifice, fashion to help, good heart have echod to my heart in love of God. God Loves you very much and I know one day success is at your hand, I can’t see it but I can feel it and this is called Faith from God’s word blessed are those who did not and believe.
I have nothing now but you will laid lot of people to success in due time. Keep the good work righteous people are all around you but the most God is with you. I have nothing to give as of now but a simple message coming from my heart. Keep up the good work and always remember God for He is the one who gives us ability to produce wealth. Where there is joy, peace and gladness, there is He the Conforter, Prince of peace, Emmanuel our everlasting Father.
Love and kindness may always be in your loving heart.
Romy
Thanks for the great gift, Eric!
I am so thankful that I was able to travel to Ohio and visit my mom this Thanksgiving week. She was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and I really needed to be with her and go to one of her chemotherapy treatments and make sure she was really doing ok. My three brothers are in town with Mom, and they have stepped up to take great care of Mom. I’m so proud of them and thankful for them!
We’ve been through several major ordeals this Autumn, but I’m thankful and feel blessed that we’re making it through. So many people continue to be burdened so much more than we; and my heart and prayers go out to them all.
Eric, thank you for creating this forum and sharing so much with us.
Hi, Eric
I want to thank God for people like you, who takes time to teach the new babies on line-business like my very self that knows nothing about online business; thank-you for all your posting I appreciate, may the Almighty God bless you and your family and gives you more courage to teach me more, I have no website yet ‘am still learning to build one and start making my own money too; Thanks and God bless you;
Tonyel,