My Personal Insights:
This newsletter is reaching you just after
Thanksgiving. It's a time that we reflect on those
things for which we are grateful and it officially marks
the start of the Holiday Season. Of course, this year it
may feel difficult to be grateful and you may not really
feel like celebrating much. Even if you haven't been hit
directly by the economic woes, there's a good chance
it's impacted someone dear to you.
Even though
this newsletter is about relationships, I think we need
to broaden the scope a bit because our extended
relationships are really important now -- both because
of the Holiday Season and the times.
Before I
close, I would like to let all of you know how grateful I
am to you as a readership. I very much appreciate you
taking the time each month to read my messages and
hopefully they serve you well.
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Finding a Way to Rejoice
Have you ever watched a "trailer" for the 11:00 news
where they tell you about a family who lost their house
and all their belongings to a fire? When you hear the
family interviewed, somehow they manage to have a
positive attitude and speak of being grateful that they
all survived -- even the cat! They go on to talk about
this as a challenge. Psychologists would say that
these people have a trait called "hardiness" and it will
serve them well in times of adversity.
So much of how your life goes is based on
your perception, your attitude and
finding a way to rejoice in difficult times is your
choice!
No doubt, many of you are going to feel unable to fulfill
the usual Season of Giving. Perhaps one way to
approach this time of year is to reflect back on your
fondest memories of the Holidays. What floods your
mind? Is it the festive dinners and being surrounded
by family and friends or is it the presents you got?
Except for maybe that two-wheeler you were wishing
and hoping for, my guess is the former.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a challenge to getting back
to basics and enjoying our relationships!
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Choice Tips:
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- Limit how much time you spend discussing
the "horror" stories you've heard with one another.
Fear only begets more fear.
- Be realistic about your financial capabilities and
do not overextend yourself especially with credit
cards.
- If you celebrate with extended family agree to limit
gift purchases by having only 1 person buy for 1
person. Or, perhaps, only buy gifts for the children.
- Have an open, honest discussion with children
about the need for limitations this year. However,
make sure not to present it in a light that will be scary
to them.
- Consider gifts that are acts of kindness. For those
of you involved in a relationship, now is a great time to
create a coupon book for all sorts of romantic
gestures.
- Don't lose sight of those things in your life for
which you should be grateful: Is everyone healthy or
has someone just recovered from an illness? Is there
a new child born? Has someone gotten engaged?
- Make sure to focus on appreciating small positive
things; sometimes it helps to see the world through
the eyes of a child. Enjoy the first snow, appreciate a
sunset, have fun playing with a dog. The more
positive you see, the more positive you will see!
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Additional Resources I Recommend:
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Here's something I got through the internet that I think
speaks well to this month's theme. It's my present to
you:
Click Here to Read!
And, another inspirational story to drive home the point
about the choices you make:
Click here for story
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Empowering Tools and Information:
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I think you all know that I've written, "Mindfulness and
The Art of Choice: Transform Your Life." I'm so
flattered to say that it has received wonderful reviews
that you can check out on Amazon. But recently it got a
really special one from a very prestigious review site,
MyShelf.com. I'd like to share it with you:
Click to Read!
I've always felt strongly that it's a book that offers you
so many wonderful tools that will allow you to live a
very satisfying, joyful life. It can help you live in the
present and not be burdened by messages from the
past. When I read reviews like the one I'm sharing
with you, I feel very validated. You might want to check
out the book, itself, by clicking this link It
might even make a great Holiday gift --- and if you
share it, it's really worth the price!
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