As Thanksgiving wraps up, I wanted to take a minute to share about some reasons I am thankful.
Most people are out shopping today on Black Friday, but I came into the office to get a few things done, and I had a minute to reflect on this last year. A year ago, I was working full time in my Internet Marketing business. The job wasn’t terrible. It was supporting my family and gave me a lot of flexibility, but it was often isolating. Many times, the clients I worked for were not local to the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, so it was definitely difficult to feel like I was part of a team or see the impact I was making on others.
As a real estate agent, that is not the case. Every day, I get to work with buyers and sellers who are making decisions on a very important component of their lives – their home. I get to tangibly walk through the process with them and serve them along the way. This has been immensely satisfying to me – to help my friends and community in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Many of the people I helped were part of my existing network. Many others found me via my website and different forms of marketing. But no matter what, I know that I am working with someone local in the community. As someone who worked online for so many years, I can’t underestimate that feeling of being a local small business owner. And I know that the work I do will reflect back on my family for my kids and going forward. I’m building a family name in helping people locally.
THANKSGIVING
As I sat around my parents’ table the other night, I was overwhelmed by the blessings I have inherited because of faithful generations before me. My parents have loved each other and loved the Lord. Their parents loved each other well and loved the Lord. My brothers and I are benefactors of a family with strong core values who have taught their children well.
And as we sat around eating turkey and mashed potatoes, we heard the gleeful laughter and screams of the 11 grandchildren in the house who are the next generation. They have been receiving from my brothers and I what it means to be a Sztanyo. How do you learn to love God? How do you learn to love others? These are the things we pass down to them.
A good friend of mine told me that he believes every family is both strong and broken. I couldn’t agree more with that wisdom. No matter where you are coming from, there is brokenness in your family. I know we have it. But at the same time, you also have strength in your family.
Whether you spent this Thanksgiving enjoying your family or in a family feud, there are still reasons to be thankful. We all are broken, but we are all also strong. What I love about this holiday is that it gives us a time to reset our hearts, look at the good things in our lives and be thankful.
An attitude and heart of thankfulness resets us in so many good ways.
I’m grateful for this new job and the chance to help others. And, I hope you are thankful for the many good things in your life. Happy Thanksgiving!