A Professional Association is defined as a body of persons engaged in the same profession, formed usually to control entry into the profession, maintain standards, and represent the profession in discussions with other bodies. Or in simple language, it’s a bunch of people who work in the same profession who get together and share ideas that will help them become more competent in their jobs.

One week ago, I had pleasure of attending my 1^st National Speaker’s Association (NSA) meeting. It was the Fall Conference held in Phoenix. Wow! I was overwhelmed by the sharing and love and genuine encouragement I received from many of the 400 other attendees and exhibitors and sponsors. Of course, since I walked in wearing a white suit, blue-plaid shirt, Nike sneakers, sporting a bad haircut while carrying an old suitcase and box of chocolates – I sorta had a unique way of capturing the attention of the crowd. So what did I learn?

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The movie Forrest Gump had no scene or specific mention of Thanksgiving. Did Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump Director) or Tom Hanks (the Star) or Steve Tisch/Wendy Finerman/Steve Starkey (the Producers) have something against Thanksgiving? My guess is “No!” Forrest Gump influenced historical events in the USA from 1945 (Forrest’s birth year) until the movie concluded in the mid-1980s (when little Forrest goes off to school). The Thanksgiving Tradition started long before Forrest began impacting the events of US history. If there were any Thanksgiving scenes originally written and filmed for the movie Forrest Gump – they must have been left on the cutting-room floor.

Just for fun, let’s pretend that Forrest Gump was alive at an earlier time. How might have Forrest influenced the Thanksgiving tradition that we know today? And more important to consider, how are you writing your own history and influencing your families, friends, and traditions?

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Thanksgiving Week! YEAH!!! I remember as a boy the excitement of a short school week (4 days off to a boy is a super-long weekend), relatives visiting on Thursday, pumpkin pie and leftover turkey. Thanksgiving Week has to be one of the coolest weeks of the year.

In my early career, I always had jobs that followed the same pattern of a 3 day work-week and 4 days off. Wednesday night became Friday night – it still was a cool week with an adult twist.

Now my career has matured to the point where I’m ‘connected’ 24 / 7 and the time between work and play has blurred. Today, I no longer punch a time clock at my job or operate by the regulated ring of a school bell. But the cool and excitement factor of Thanksgiving week still resonates. It’s in that spirit that I made a list of how I’m going to be productive this Thanksgiving week.

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Last weekend in Monterey, CA the 8th Run Forrest Run Charity race took place. It started because the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company embraced the corporate philosophy of being involved in each local community. Mama Gump probably told Forrest when he was a little boy, “Forrest, you have to be both a good citizen and good neighbor.” It is in that spirit of good neighborliness that the run originated.

The 2002 original Run Forrest Run had less then 200 participants and occurred mostly from the Herculean effort of Dave Trombetta – Bubba Gump’s local sales manager. The following year Run Forrest Run teamed up with the inaugural Big Sur Half Marathon as the complimentary 5k race. Over the next seven years improvements were made including the addition of the Just Run! Just Kids 3k race in 2007 and moving both the Run Forrest Run 5k and Just Run! Just Kids 3k races to Saturday. This created a more family friendly event as the Half Marathoners running on Sunday were now able to run with their families on Saturday.

So what? Why bother with all this running? In addition to being a great family event, the Run Forrest Run and Big Sur Half Marathon are charity events that give back directly to the community.

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The movie Forrest Gump touched, moved and inspired millions of people worldwide. Why did people love this movie? Why do they still feel warm and fuzzy today when they think about or watch it again? After all, it’s been 15+ years since the movie was released on July 6, 1994. Why is Forrest Gump timeless and still relevant after 15 years?

The character Forrest Gump demonstrated the human qualities that fellow humans find admirable and endearing. Those qualities include: Authentic, Bold, Compassionate, Dependable, Even-tempered, Fair, Genuine, Happy, Intuitive, Just, Kind, Loving, Miraculous, Noble, Observant, Persevering, Quiet-natured, Resilient, Simplistic, Temperate, Understanding, Valiant, Willing, X-traordinary, Youthfully innocent & Zany. To sum up all of these qualities, Forrest Gump was both genuine and authentic.

If you were in war, you wanted Forrest as a fellow soldier covering your back. If you were a mother, you wanted your son to be like Forrest and be kind and persevering. If you were a businessman, you wanted a partner like Forrest who was dependable, willing and bold. If you were a girlfriend or wife, you wanted your man to be like Forrest and be genuine, understanding and loving. And most everyone loves the human characteristics of simplicity, authenticity and zaniness – they help keep life real and fun.

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