Mark Chussil is the author of Nice Start and other books. He has founded several businesses, consulted and lectured on six continents, earned his MBA from Harvard and his BA from Yale, and serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of the Children. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he sings and plays his guitar when he thinks no one else can hear.

I have chosen myself to serve as the center of my own private universe. Who else would I choose?

Still, there are 6,599,999,999 other people in the world, and on occasion I notice some of them. For example, I notice politicians who annoy me and drivers who get in my way. But mostly I notice the people who commit countless, endless acts of graciousness, kindness, and generosity, and I am thankful for them.

Thankful*

I am thankful for the road workers who labor at night so I’m not inconvenienced, and who create the nice, smooth roads that make driving a pleasure.

I am thankful for the people at the car dealership who wash my car when I bring it in for service.

I am thankful for the letter carrier who delivers impossibly misaddressed letters to me.

I am thankful for the newspaper delivery person whose strong arm and accurate aim mean I don’t have to walk far from my door on rainy days.

I am thankful for the person who rings up my groceries with a real smile.

I am thankful for the friend who makes sure I know about a TV show that I might like.

I am thankful for flight attendants who work hard to make sure I am happy and comfortable.

I am thankful for people who prepare for emergencies that we all hope will never come.

I am thankful for the technical-support experts who politely tell me the eight-number DNS server identifier my computer needs to connect to the Internet using TCP/IPv4, whatever that is.

Explorations you can try

1) List 10 people you are thankful for and why you’re thankful for them.

2) Circle those you haven’t ever thanked or haven’t thanked in a long time.

3) Tell them you’re thankful for them.

(It’s okay to include yourself in the list.)

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” Margaret Cousins (1905?-1996)

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” Woody Allen (1935-)

Each of the people for whom I am thankful has their own private universe, in which they presumably serve as the center. Sometimes they will notice some of the 6,599,999,999 people who are not them, and occasionally some of them will notice me. When they do, I hope that I’ve lived my life in such a way that they are thankful for me.

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* “Thankful” is an excerpt from Nice Start: Questions Only You Can Answer to Create the Life Only You Can Live, copyright © 2010 Mark Chussil.