(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!
Really, thanks for all the things that you share witn us.
I’m in England, so we don’t have thanksgiving, but even here we can all be thankful for your generosity in giving us the benefit of your experience and knowledge, especially in these lessons, free for everyone. I would like to think that this fantastic resource will remain forever! Thank you so much, Eric.
I’m living on borrowed time so I am thankful for each day I wake up and find that God keeps me alive to see my family. Since about 3 months ago, I never take a single day of my life for granted anymore.
I am thankful for a lot of things:
1. My dog — I’ve been truly blessed to share the past 14 years with an amazing dog suited perfectly to my personality.
2. My husband — he may be an eccentric pill, but he’s my eccentric pill and he loves me. 😉
3. My creativity and passion — without it these two qualities, I wouldn’t be able to wake up in the morning and face another day
4. Magical moments — when I need the money, it’s there; when I need a friend, someone’s there … whatever I need, always seems to be there whenever I truly need it.
I live a blessed life. Not an extravagant, opulent life, but a blessed one, nevertheless.
Thanks for the free gift, and the lessons from Eric’s tip’s they are getting very interesting and helpful. I am thankful for all we have in this country,and God willing it will not all be lost, also there are so many other things to be thankful for I cannot list them all once again thanks and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Hi Eric,
I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with awareness of your blessings.
I have so much that I’m thankful for. I’ll try to be pithy. It boils down to being thankful for all of God’s Graces. My family is first, of course. They are my passion. God Grace works through my family, friends, and all my connections that give me the experience of life to grow in love. That includes the challenges and difficulties because they are frequently the windows to the opportunities for greatest growth. I thank God for teaching me the strength in my spirit and love in my heart that I may share it with others. I thank God for bringing me the awareness that my love for my spouse outweighs my need for him.
Blessings,
Irene
Hi Fields,
I think you and I have similar paradigms and beliefs. Do you have a blog or website that I could check out?
Blessings,
Irene
1st Timothy 2:1 First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them.
——————————————–
Mark (me)
And surely pray and give thanks to all internet entrepreneuers that Give and Sell from their good heart that hath no greed.
Hi Eric,
To be frank, your “Thanksgiving” isn’t worth the money that you had offered even if its cost dearly expensive & to win your prize isn’t even the answer. The fact that we are talking is the person that “GOD” created is that ‘You’ willingly to share your successful Online Businesses & time with us.
Doing Online Business on Internet as many could link to Ghostnet, life could be frustrated, losing money & time.
We need trust, to work on this businesses & get real people Online isn’t as easy as we aspected. You really make us confident & continue learning with you thats what we try to share with others.
Great Marketer & you deserves this.
Thanks, regards
Mohd
Dear Eric,
It is surprising to me how easy this one is. I am thankful first of all for my family, and running a very close second, I am thankful for being a citizen and military veteran of this country. I watch things unfold; both good and bad, and know that I have been involved in the process.
Eric, frankly, The thing I’m very thankful for happens to be you! Here’s why:
First, I love the creative way you have treated this post at Thanksgiving to get us to think about being thankful, to stimulate comments on your blog, and give back through formulating this contest; (utterly brilliant)
The level of wonderful value you offer in everything you do for your subscribers such as, your emails, your products, your teaching;
How you speak about your family values and how you seem to truly live them;
I appreciate your sincere openness and transparency; (you always reveal your reasons, your strategy, your affiliate links) This creates incredible trust.
I’m thankful for the course you are giving on how to launch an internet business;
I like how you stand out from the rest of the marketers on the internet in all the ways above, and much, much more.
Thank you so much Eric
Kathy Strahan
Eric,
I am thankful for so very much and many.
the world has had so many changes since I entered. I am thankful to have seen a new era begin with 2000. Some changes are good and some I have many questions. People are so very different and isn’t that wonderful. How boring life would be if we were all alike.
I am so very thankful for people like yourself that give so much to others to help us. Your hints are the best. I have missed a few and need to back track to find them.
I am thankful to be alive in this changing world and be part of the some of the changes. At my age sometimes it is hard to accept change but I find it a challenge to mostly enjoy.
Thank you for letting me sound off.
Hope your turkey day was as great as ours.
I’m thankful that I live in a country that dispite it’s occassional divisions still affords the person who works hard a chance to use their skills to find their own way to success. And, of course, for people like you who support those people with your abundant knowledge. Thanks for that!
I’m thankful that I have more than one
chance to make my living on the internet
Eric,
I am thankful that I am an internet marketer. I get to enjoy everyday. I work from home and it feels good not to be in the everyday rat race.
Regards,
Pierre/http://www.beseated.ca/kits.htm
I’m thankful that I have the ability to change, grow, and become a better version of myself. This improvement makes it easier to give more to others.
Early this year, my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 of pancreatic cancer and was terminal. The medical staff did not know how long she had and we did not want to know. They worked hard to give her as much time as they possibly could.
This morning we got the good news that her cancer is in remission. THAT WAS GREAT NEWS AND WE ARE VERY THANKFUL TO GOD AND THE STAFF AT SANFORD HOSPITAL IN SIOUX FALLS SD.
I am really happy that you decided to give newbies like us and the rest of the wannabes ERIC’S TIPS and I look forward to each one.
Hi Eric,
I am 71 years old and still working at Lowel,s electrical dept.I am so thankfull that you take the time to teach us to be independent. I am so excited to learn a new way to make a living.As soon as i can put into practice your system,i can stay home and work.I am so thankfull that the Lord has given me more time to learn and prepare me and my wife to go on a mission to do the Lords work.We need to be very respectfull to are military,They keep us safe so we can do the things required of us. God bless them and your family.
Your hard working student, Gerald
thanks to god.
thank you Eric.
and hello for everybody.
I’m very thankful for you and all your help with getting my internet business started.
I’m so very thankful that I can do business wherever I have internet access. Early this month I received a phone call telling us that my mother-in-law had suffered a stroke. She was being taken to the hospital and would need extended care. My 93 year old father-in-law couldn’t take care of himself. We had to pick up and rush to another state for an extended stay.
Because of my business, I can keep things running while caring for my father-in-law and making arrangements for proper care for my mother-in-law.
I’m thankful that her stroke was not more severe and that we’ve all developed routines that meet the needs of the entire family.
Eric, thanks for you help making a difficult time easier.
Lynn
Thank yo very much for a great gift!
Hi Eric;
I usually do not put any comments on other peoples blogs but your request to express our thankfulness really interested me.
If you ever sat down and spoke to somebody whom you really did not know you would find out that we all have a story.
Although I will not go into details about mine I can tell you that I am very thankful that I was able to come out some of my darkest moments with the grace of God. I am thankful for the strength He gives us in our weakest moments and provides the light ahead of us to see a better future.
I am thankful for the goodness of people I meet or read about and what they do with their talents in our world that make a difference to those who are unable to care for themselves.
I am thankful for the people who truly love me or care for me and touch my life in special ways or by just being my friend.
I am thankful for my health and the continued health of my family, friends and pets.
I am thankful that the majority of people think of others well being instead of putting their own needs first.
There is much more but at least these are the most important.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and God Bless!
I am Thankful for each and everything that I have, that the person below me does not have. I am thankful for all the things that we take for granted Air, Water, Trees, Mountains, Clouds, Sky etc. I am thankful for everything that I have and everything that I will have. I cannot be unthankful as I have seen people in worse situations.
I have been reading Eric’s Tips for quite awhile now. I have tried to put some of his ideas to work for myself, but as of yet have not hit on that just right niche.
I will be closing down my normal website in the next couple of weeks. As soon as I can put together my final website. Two months ago I was diagnosed with cancer and given 6 to 8 months to live. Since I have no medical insurance at the present time my finiancial situation is getting worse every day.
If Eric would leave my website address that is posted at the end of this post just maybe I can get traffic to a very special firesale.
I do have Master Resale Rights to over 500 1week to 3 year old ebooks. My site will be up and running 2 weeks from today. I am going to setup a donation program thru PayPal with any donation any ebook will be able to be downloaded.
Thank you for any help you can give.
Robert Anderson
http://acssystem4u.com
In the spirt of thanksgiving… here is a link that sums it up. http://home.att.net/~mcp3_2000/_classics/013/whispers.htm
Thanksgiving should be everyday, if we only pause to realize it!!!
Great Post Eric. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I believe everybody should help everybody out in need when possible this is what Thanksgiving is to me. Not only thinking about yourself, but those that need help also. Okay, Have a great day, God Bless you and your family.
Ray
Hello Eric,
First of all Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the people close to you.
I am from Belgium, and no Thanksgiving.
I do read your newsletters; and I am very glad that I do learn a lot.
Keep up the good work.
Best regards
Hedwig Theeuwen.
Sorry for mistakes in my language. Still learning 🙂
I am thankful for the essence of life, I’m just happy. I am thankful for the turkey on my breath. I am thankful for my grand dad, the last of my grand parents. I am grateful for the family and friends that are with me and I pray for those that are else where. I am grateful for this Eric’s Tip’s and the information that you are providing. I could go on, I am grateful for the love of Jesus, the blood, the name and the grace.
thanks
HI,
(on Twinkle Twinkle)
Thank you for the sun that shines, THank you for the birds that sing
Thank you for the food I eat, Thank you for the bed I sleep.
I am thankful for my great life,
my sweet wife, my great friends,
my cute little house, my reliable car,
my loving dog, my friends’ children who run to me to hug me.(We don’t have kids…but they know…) and lately, for the delicious Thanksgiving dinner, in company of 2 friends from Pakistan, who blessed the dinner in Arabic, who brought us a beautiful handmade shawl made in Pakistan, and even though we were only 4 around dinner, there was enough Love for 20 people. I know that God brought us together (God/Universe). May the spirit of Peace touch all the ones who are reading this. I am also thankful for seeing hope in my starting e-business. I know that as I give as much as I can in my business and life, is the real secret for abundance.
Love, Peace, Abundance to You!
I am thankful for being able to come home from Kuwait after 9 and a half months.
I am thankful to have a loving heavenly Father who I can go to with anything. I am also thankful for my family here on earth.
I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine.
I have been reading Eric’s tips for a long time, but this is the first I have ever posted here.
Thank you Eric for your gift to us.
I am thankful for my family, our health and happiness and for this day!
Than you Eric you are the best. i always enjoy your tips and blog posts. i have learned much from you. God Bless.
Gunvi
This really helped my Thanksgiving. Your tips are very helpful to newbie’s and I am just very thankful.
I am happy for my existence, but especially for my first cup of steaming aromatic coffee
Eric and all,
I am absolutely thankful for the wonderful love of God in that while I was still a sinner he loved me and gave His only begotten son to be a perfect sacrifice for my sin. I am thankful that God who is Elohim the everlasting Father of Jesus Christ has loved me and called me to be a son. For this I am grateful.
As a person dealing with a progressive illness,
every day is a victory. I’m thankful for
another chance to get it right. I appreciate all of the strong and positive people in my
life who are an inspiration to me. I try to
do the same for others who are less fortunate
than I am. I’m looking ahead to do great things
with my time. There are many blessings in my
life. Eric, you are one of them. I appreciate
your smiling face. When you reach out your hand
to people, it isn’t for the sake of taking
something from them. You lift them up. Thank
you, and keep being the person you are.
Hi Eric and many thanks for the great gift. For me the secret to life is simply to BE grateful. That includes both the good and the bad stuff. The bad stuff presents us with opportunities to learn and grow and the good is merely a reflection of what we ourselves have given away. So I just wake up and greet the day in a grateful way, rain or shine.
All the best. Ken
Happy thanksgiving to all. I am thankful to be in good health and have so many great friends. I am very thankful for all the good info I have received from Eric’s Tips. Have a great day……………Bill
I am greatful for another day of sobriety and that my ailing mother is hanging in here one more thanksgiving. Thanks for this opportunity Eric!
Thankful I am still alive and wanting to make a dent on internet marketing in my own small way.
Simply thankful for life and all it’s embodiments. The lord is good.
I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. I am thankful for my stay here on the earth that I might learn the things necessary and pass the tests to return to live with my Heavenly Father.
My family is my greatest joy and I am thankful that they will always be with me.
I am thankful for this great country The United States of America. This country allows us the freedom to make choices that determine our own destiny based upon our effort.
I am grateful to all of those that have given their time and lives to defend this great country.
I am thankful to be able to determine my own future based upon my actions.
I am grateful for my health, my wonderful family and friends
and to the opportunity the internet affords & the hope it gives me
– so I can get out of this 9-5 rut lifestyle.
Peace and Prosperity to All
Carl Willoughby
http://www.HughTraceyKalimba.com
Thank you for all the wonderful people in my life who contribute to the richness of each day. With Love
Thanks for the Valuable Tips and the great gifts
I am thankful with the Source of Life (God) for everything. I am thankfull for having this human adventure.
I am thankful for being blessed with an awesome family (pets included) and friends.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to encounter great people every day.
I am thankful for the existence of the Internet and Intuition for guiding me to incredible people like you.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to express my gratitude as well:Thanks Erik!
Only the best!
Sybille
Dear Eric
On Friday 18 April 2008 I received the following response from you as confirmation of becoming one of your disciples.:-)
Hi Victor,
Thank you for confirming your membership to Eric’s Tips!
As promised, you are entitled to download 5 more ebooks. You may
download them at:
[subscribe to get the link]
Please put this address on your SAFElist so that you will receive
all my important newletters and valuable tips:
tips [at] ericstips.com
Also, be sure to log into your “10 Free Ebooks Account” to get your
affiliate link and start earning commissions. You can login at:
http://10-free-ebooks.com/download/
I wish you the best as we embark on this internet marketing
adventure together!
Best regards,
Eric Holmlund
Eric’s Tips
—–
Wow that was over 7 mths ago.
Every single email and tip I received from you since goes into your special folder called ERICS TIPS.
Every single word and strategy or technique you teach and endorse either goes into my mind with awe and/or goes into my must implement file.
Since I joined your list, you have not only opened up my peripheral vision on the business aspects of internet but also doing so with business ethics and social responsibility.
So for that I am deeply and sincerely full of grattitude. The fact that you could give away so much (free ebooks) before youve even taught me anything is in itself giving in order to receive. And here again, you are giving away yet even more as your token of gesture for us mere mortals that follow you with pride, content and an open mind.
Recently my internet focus came to a halt. Not that I had been earning any income as I was just starting out etc.
You see in Feb of this year I made the unfortunate decision to give up my accountant job to Pursue the greener pastures of freedom, autonomy and hope of financial independence and passion in the world of internet marketing etc. Though in hindsight it was silly because i had no income to fund the traffic generation, the marketing not to mention other ongoing expenses of internet educaiton and marketing.
In August my own mother in NZ lost her job of 18 yrs. Unjustifably sacked by new managers of a Hospital. So in the last 3 mths I put my internet aside and used my internet and google Search abilities to research, access etc information re employment law in NZ and with the use of Skype and Email completed a 51 page Personal Grievance Application lodged to the Authorities in NZ against her Unjustified Dismissal. The outcome is yet to be determined.
The point is, I would NEVER in my wildest dreams or even a few years ago beeen able to do that (reseach law) and act on my Mothers behalf (in NZ) as her agent from AUSTRALIA and taking on the Lawyers of a massive company….blah blah blah.
So whilst I gave up my job to pursue internet marketing (and will continue to do so) and whilst my own dear Mother lost hers during this period, I am SO GREATFUL and thank the Heavenly Intelligent Universe, for the internet abilities I have learnt thus far and for opeining up my mind to the possibilities. More so I am greatful and am full of grattitude, that in despair and in adversities that there is always Hope, contentment and a sense of Completion towards a goal especially one that brings comfort, pride nad sense of contribution and purpose for and towards your loved ones.
I will now sit back, reflect upon my journey this year and after doing all I could for my Mother, it has in the end given me a sense of pride and purpose that will lift me even more to continue and hopefully be successful with my Internet Marketing Future.
(Our hearts and minds should also go out towards our friends and democratic spiritual loved ones in India)
God Bless You and Best of Luck to All your subscribers.
Victor Tamyan