Thanksgiving – A message

Food, family, football, are all part of the Thanksgiving tradition. But the holiday means so much more than that. Think about it: it is one day reserved for the specific purpose of reminiscing about the positive things in life.

We may take it for granted, but we should be mindful that, aside from Canada, the concept of a national holiday of thankfulness does not exist in other parts of the world.

OK, fine, strictly speaking, some purists will point out that thanksgiving celebrations pre-date ours in such countries as India, Germany, Japan and the UK where they have very old harvest-related roots.  But “Thanksgiving” is known worldwide to be an American tradition. Although it is quite old (we can trace it back to 1621) it has not lost its meaning and, if anything, it has gained relevance in our increasingly turbulent and complex world. Perhaps because of this, it is now also celebrated in parts of Australia, in Grenada, Liberia, the Netherlands and the Philippines. 

On our 40^thanniversary year, we at CPG have much to be grateful for, on many different fronts:

We are grateful for our people, for their hard work, ingenuity, dedication and commitment, and for their willingness to go the extra mile. They make our business a pleasure and a success. Without them, what we do would not be possible, and there would be no CPG.

We are grateful to have found a management system that keeps our vision and purpose focused, to have developed a mindset that utilizes the benefits of different cultures and languages, and reduces the distance across the oceans.

We are thankful to our clients who give us the opportunity to contribute and to add value to their businesses. We value their trust and hold it dear. We are thankful for their generosity and support. It is rewarding to see the smiles on the faces and the sparkle in the eyes of the China team members when their hard work is acknowledged and appreciated.

We are thankful for the feedback we receive on our blogs and posts. We value our readers and clients alike, and we are motivated by the notion that sharing some of our knowledge may benefit others.

We are grateful to the Chinese manufacturers, the factories, and the suppliers who strive, each in their own way, to deliver products and ideas to our clients.  They in turn appreciate the buyers who go out of their way to make things clear and help them deliver.

Personally, I am thankful for 40 years of adventure, for the wins and the losses; for the successes and the mistakes; for the great people I was privileged to meet, for the trust, for the friends, for those myriad experiences that have taught me so many lessons, and that have enabled me to build a special company in an unlikely environment.  If I could go back and do it again, I would not change a thing.

I hope that you too can look back and have much to be grateful for.  I hope you will remember the people around you and remind them that you appreciate their work and their contribution to your business.

 

 

By Michael De Clercq