From Thanksgiving to Daily Intentionality
How Maya Angelou Taught Me to Live in the Present
Thanksgiving comes and goes every year, and every year I feel the same quiet tug: I wish I embraced its significance more deeply. Not the holiday itself, but the spirit behind it. Gratitude, presence, intentional living — all the things we talk about and rarely slow down long enough to practice in a meaningful way.
Turning 50 this year sharpened that realization. Life is too short to reserve gratitude for a single Thursday in November. If anything, Thanksgiving should be a daily mindset, a way of inhabiting our work, our relationships, and our inner lives.
But how do we actually do that? What does it look like in practice? And how do we measure whether we’re living with a grateful, grounded awareness rather than reacting to whatever the day throws at us?
These questions have been on my mind for months.
I’ve tried gratitude journals with limited success. I tend to record only the “big” moments, forgetting that gratitude is a muscle built on small repetitions. I’ve also tried lengthening my prayers, adding more intentional thankfulness. Helpful, yes — but still reactive. Still dependent on moments where I pause after the day has already happened.
Then, unexpectedly, a clip of Maya Angelou stopped me cold.
In an interview, she described her philosophy of being present and giving everything she has to every moment. The simplicity and power of her words hit me harder each day I replayed them. After reflecting, I realized what had been missing in my efforts to move beyond a one-day Thanksgiving mindset:
I was being grateful, but I wasn’t being fully present.
Gratitude without presence becomes a list.
Presence without gratitude becomes a performance.
Angelou attempted both — courageously, wholeheartedly, daily.
Here are five concepts I’ve learned from her and how I’m applying them to my life and work.
1. Presence as Foundational
Angelou’s reminder is simple: Be fully here.
Not halfway. Not distracted. Not on autopilot.
Presence means giving your moments the gift of your attention.
For me, this changes:
Deep work: Fewer distractions, less multitasking, more whole-self focus.
Relationships: Showing up fully, listening deeply, contributing meaningfully.
Presence is not passive awareness — it’s active engagement.
2. Giving Everything You’ve Got
Angelou doesn’t encourage participation; she encourages wholehearted investment.
“Give everything” is a radical statement.
For us as thinkers, creators, leaders, and educators, this includes:
Bringing full clarity and intention to our work
Showing generosity with insights and support
Avoiding the comfort of half-effort thinking
It’s not about being perfect — it’s about sincerity of effort toward perfection.
3. Gratitude + Humility
Then comes the part many of us skip.
Angelou pairs presence and effort with a posture of gratitude and humility:
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
This reminds me to appreciate:
The process of deep thinking
The opportunity to do meaningful work
The people who journey with me
The tools and resources we have access to
Humility reorients the work. It reminds me that I’m serving something larger than myself — ideas, truth, community.
4. Courage to Engage Fully
Being present isn’t easy. Giving everything isn’t easy.
Both require courage to face discomfort, uncertainty, and vulnerability.
Angelou always emphasized courage as the foundation of character.
In my work, courage looks like:
Confronting hard questions
Staying with discomfort
Exploring unfamiliar ideas
Resisting shallow, reactive thinking
Being Present + Giving Everything = Risk.
But the alternative is stagnation.
5. Aligning Purpose with Action
Gratitude isn’t philosophical—it’s active.
So, it isn’t enough to reflect. I must act.
Angelou’s approach creates a feedback loop:
Being Present → Wholehearted Giving → Purposeful Action → Deeper Gratitude
It is a daily cycle of intentional living rather than an annual holiday reflection.
Why This Matters for You and Me
It elevates output: Deep thinking is less about time and more about quality of attention.
It shapes culture: Presence and gratitude transform how teams interact and collaborate.
It gives meaning to work: We stop executing tasks and start embodying values.
It builds resilience: Because when gratitude and presence anchor you, burnout loosens its grip.
You can watch the clip yourself — it’s brief, but the wisdom is timeless:
This is the mindset I’m committed to carrying into every day, every interaction, and every endeavor.
Not Thanksgiving as a holiday.
Thanksgiving as a lifestyle.
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