By Bob McKinnon 

When you read the headline, what were your thoughts? 

Maybe your mind went directly to a prayer or meditation you might share before dinner. 

Or you may be thinking of the pie you’ll bake for your host.  

Perhaps you imagine that traveling to your family’s house is thanks enough. 

Either way, when you read that question you undoubtedly tried to answer it in your mind, didn’t you? 

If you’re wondering what’s going on in your head when you read or hear a question, this “Fast Company” article written by David Hoffeld offers a simple explanation: “Questions trigger a mental reflex known as ‘instinctive elaboration.’ When a question is posed, it takes over the brain’s thought process. And when your brain is thinking about the answer to a question, it can’t contemplate anything else.” 

I’m sure we’ve all been frustrated when someone asked us about a name or some other detail that we could not easily recall. For a moment, we are mentally immobilized and unable to think about anything else. 

So if you were stumped coming up with how you’ll give thanks on Turkey Day, let me offer you a different path towards gratitude this Thanksgiving: take this quiz. 

I know, I know. People, especially students on break, are unlikely to want to take a quiz, unless it’s along the lines of “Which Harry Potter Character Are You Based on What You’ll Eat on Thanksgiving?” or “Pick Your Thanksgiving Favorites and We’ll Tell You Which Kardashian You Are.” 

But trust me. While these types of quizzes might offer some empty calories, “What’s Your American Dream Score?” will provide you with the nourishment, perspective and gratitude that go hand in hand with Thanksgiving. This quiz consists of ten questions about who or what might have helped you get to where you are in life. Your score will be influenced by a number of factors that may have worked for or against you.  

The power of questions to stimulate reflection and gratitude was one of the primary reasons why I created “What’s Your American Dream Score?” five years ago. Some of its questions concern ways in which your friends may have helped you along the way, the role your family played in setting you up for success, and teachers or mentors who may have provided important guidance. 

Are you starting to feel grateful just thinking about these questions?  

You’ll also be asked about factors like luck, health or even the impact of strangers on your journey. 

I’m feeling more thankful just writing this. 

Beside inspiring gratitude, reflecting on these questions can potentially inspire action. Hoffeld’s “Want To Know What Your Brain Does When It Hears A Question?” also mentions that “decades of research has found that the more the brain contemplates a behavior, the more likely it is that we will engage in it.”  With that in mind, could it be that reflecting on the help you received from a mentor might inspire you to mentor someone else? Could thinking about help you received from a friend make you want to be a better friend yourself? 

I think so. 

Of course, asking questions about our life can also evoke a not-so-pleasant feeling. The reality is that some of us have more to be grateful for than others. One benefit to a quiz like this is that it can provide a roadmap to those things that can lead to a better life – things that might inspire gratitude in the future. Here is a sample list of organizations that help people in need of support to move up in life. 

Thanksgiving is an annual opportunity to contemplate things for which we are thankful. In our home, and I suspect in many others, it’s usually a cursory reflection lasting just a few minutes before we dig into the turkey, stuffing and pie. These moments are often fleeting and soon replaced by Black Friday sales, family squabbles, workouts, and holiday movies. 

Shouldn’t real gratitude be a little more lasting than this? 

As Taylor Swift reminds us: “Be grateful more than anything in your life. If you have to put a priority on something, put a priority on what you’re thankful for and the people in your life that you’re grateful for.” 

If it’s helpful in getting you started, take the quiz. Or simply ask one another questions around the dinner table. For example: “What friend helped you the most growing up?” or “Did anyone ever help you get a job?” or “Who are you most grateful for that’s not with us right now?” 

Keep it going all day long. While watching the football game: “What coach pushed you to be your best?” Or before digging into dessert: “Who made the best meal you’ve ever eaten?”  

Well, maybe skip that last one for fear of offending those who cooked this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.  

However you do it, just find a way to ask some questions that inspire reflection on the real purpose of this holiday.  

So I ask once again: How will you give thanks this Thanksgiving?

Bob McKinnon writes the “Moving Up Mondays” newsletter, hosts the podcast “Attribution w/ Bob McKinnon” and is the author of The New York Times bestselling children’s book “Three Little Engines.”