What words do you associate with the holidays?
Advertisers promoteĀ āmagic, parties, and giving that perfect gift.ā š
But if itās, as the song says, āthe most wonderful time of the year,ā why do nearly 9 in 10 people believe the holidays are the most stressful time of the year? Yep, youāre not alone in how you feel, especially this year with the pandemic and all the political insanity going on.
The truth is, we tend to fall into the happiness trap. We think holidays are all about trying to make other people happy by giving them what they want, whether itās gifts, time, travel, cooking, or any other number of expectations. We try so hard to create the perfect holiday, we make ourselves miserable.Ā š
No, no, no, no, no!
Real happiness ā not just during the holidays but all year long ā is found in:
- Knowing what youāre truly inspired to do
- Not trying to be everything to everyone
- Loving yourself enough to at least be honest about what you want and what you donāt want
- Loving yourself deeply, which is the only way you can truly love others. (I canāt give you a dollar if I donāt have one in my pocket.)Ā Ā
Check in with what makes you happy.
Also, be mindful of what actions feel like a burden and leaveĀ you feeling exhausted, bitter, angry and resentful.
You arenāt wrong for wanting what you want.
Others arenāt wrong for wanting what they want either.
When my children were young, at times when they asked me for something I couldnāt give them, I would make them wrong for asking. In my brain, I felt like I was a bad Mom for not giving them what they wanted, so my brain told me to make them wrong for wanting it. Ooops.Ā š§š§ š
Once I knew better, I would tell my children that I could help them with what they wanted in 2 hours, 2 days, 2 years, etc. If I couldnāt help them or wasnāt inspired to help them, I would let them know that I knew they were powerful creators, and I looked forward to seeing how they created that thing or experience for themselves.Ā š
Iām not anyone elseās answer, and neither are you.
You donāt have to abandon your desires to give someone else theirs.
Unless you want to.
When my children were growing up, sometimes I happily did things I wasnāt thrilled with because I knew how happy it made them. That made me happy.
Authentic living is a choice.
You can only make a new choice to live authentically out of awareness.
This is exactly what I do⦠and what most of the happy people in my life do.
If you live in awareness, acceptance, and authenticity consistently, youāll be happier and more satisfied in every aspect of your life. Itās that simple.Ā š¦
In my monthly online program Journey to Your Center, one community member shared this amazing observation: āI feel like Iām too much and not enough at the same time.ā OMG. Do you ever feel like that ⦠especially during the holidays when youāre bombarded with messages and feelings that you have to do more, more, more?Ā š
The truth is, you are enough. You are love. And you are loved.
Please, let your life be focused and centered on LOVE.
That begins with truly loving, valuing, and respecting yourself.
Are you hurting? Or do you feel like you keep learning and growing, but it doesnāt feel complete, I invite you to check out Journey to Your Center. Here, you can be supported by me all month long together with a community of loving, like-minded people. Pretty powerful stuff.
Happy holidays from my heart to yours. Iām so grateful to have you in my life.Ā š