Much to be thankful for

Knowing that Thanksgiving is upon us tomorrow in the U.S., I thought I would take a minute to express my extreme gratitude for all the people who have come into my life in the past year.  Most have come right here through this blog, which has become a comforting, occasionally raucous and always interesting place to host.  I don't see myself so much as the owner as the facilitator, throwing out thoughts that YOU, dear readers, share with me in the form of questions, comments and emails.  I have so much fun writing here that I sometimes wonder when the big joke is going to end and I will wake up and realize it was just a delicious dream.

So thank you for:

• My band of U.K. based buddies John, Robert and Ann who (depending on who is writing) alternately encourage, cajole, tease, reprimand (which Robert does when I stay up too late) and generally make me proud that my ancestors came from those little islands. (Although Robert is from Southern Africa, but resides in the U.K. - he did publish an interview with me today, coincidentally, but that is not why I linked to him!)
• My encouraging and smart friends Philippa, Marilyn, Glenda, Lisa and Matthew. Thank you for  keeping me in line, sharing knowledge, talking me off a ledge when someone blasts me or I get overwhelmed, and generally being fun to hang out with.
• Longtime readers and frequent and prolific commenters Murali, Geoff, Matthew, Paula, Carla, Keith and Jeff.  I appreciate that you have been readers of the blog for a long time and often share your thoughts in comments.  Murali, we don't always agree on everything, but you always make me think and challenge me to do better, and for that I am very grateful.  Thanks Nancy for inspiring this post with yours, and congrats again on being a Typepad featured blog!
• All of you who have provided instant, problem-solving advice for various technical challenges I have faced in publishing the blog and the podcast.  You really should send me a bill!  I don't have the links to all your blogs, but Matthew, Andy, Don, Dan, Andy, Derrik, Kris and many others, you know who you are!
• Suzanne, who got me started on this blog adventure!
• All my clients - thank you for trusting me to work with you.  You let me express my creative self through work and for that, I feel very lucky.
• My "adopted professors" Dr. Bob and Dr. Srikumar who always weigh in with encouraging words and wise perspectives.  You almost make me want to get a Master's degree just so I can spend more time hanging out with you. 
• My "link sugar daddy" Guy who has graciously shared some of my posts this year with his large legion of smart and entrepreneur-loving readers and who is always positive and encouraging.
• Rich and Jeff, thank you for making me feel like an honorary Sloan sister.  I love to watch how you creatively grow Startup Nation, and have been extremely impressed with the integrity you show in working with business partners.
• Garr and Kathy, I worship your smarts, creativity and kick-butt blogs and am thankful that I have good models to emulate.
• My dear husband, family, and best friend Desiree who don't always understand what I am typing at a furious pace most nights, but always are (or act anyway!) excited to hear about my exploits, and share my excitement at the many glorious triumphs of my readers.

And for the many, many hundreds of you who have shared your stories, your dreams and your fears with me. I don't want to leave anyone out!  I feel very priviledged to have your confidence and promise to do my best to create content that provides a path, encourages you, reduces your feelings of isolation and fires you up to start your own business.  I appreciate the way that so many of you have evangelized this blog and gotten the message out to people who need it.

We are going out of town to Flagstaff, Arizona for four days so things should be a bit quiet on the blog front.  And since I am going to be with my husband's relatives who are Navajo, I wanted to share what we often discuss at Thanksgiving:  gratefulness for family, for health, for life, and for always "walking in beauty," knowing that as their traditional prayers say, beauty is always above you, below you, before you, behind you and within you.

Enjoy!   

Comments

[robert]

Happy Thanksgiving Pamela & family and to all you USA based Cubilce escapees in waiting.

Have a great holiday!

[George Appiah]

I recently discovered your blog through a post by Guy (who's blog I also recently discovered), and I've already consumed a lot of the truly great stuff here.

Having just gotten myself out of 'info-prison' after I acquired my first ever personal computer and a dialup account, it's been a delight everyday to read from and listen to the likes of you, Guy, Steve Pavlina, and a whole lot of really friendly folks out there sharing their lives with the world.

Thanks a lot for being such an inspiration. And greetings from Accra, Ghana :-)

[Keith Handy]

Woo-hoo! I've been mentioned! I feel like Steve Martin in "The Jerk" when the new phone books come out -- "I'M SOMEBODY!" :)

[Shawna]

Wonderful post, Pam! You did the cliche but in such a personal and tasteful way that I enjoyed reading what and whom you are thankful for...and gratitude tends to have that ripple effect. Thanks for throwing the stone1

[DofAM]

Thanks for the shout out, Pam. I'm grateful for your blog, which has been very helpful to me. I often send budding entrepreneurs to the site as I think it's fantastic.

[Matthew Cornell]

Thanks, Pamela! I always enjoy your posts.

[Paula Gregorowicz]

Thanks for mentioning me Pam. I truly appreciate the nod. I for one am truly grateful for all the work you do and for knowing I can cruise on over to your blog all week long for a boost (and sometimes a kick in the pants) and a smile.