Happy Holidays – An Invitation to Intentionality
The season is in full swing – the decorations are out, the trees are up, the parking lot at the mall is full and the holiday parties have begun. I love the holiday season but I also find it really easy to be lured into doing too much and buying too much – leaving myself exhausted and with a depleted bank account at the end of the season.
Over the years, I’ve been questioning my assumptions about what makes a good holiday season and I’ve found that with intentionality the holidays can be full of joy.
How to do that? Figure out what’s important to you and your family and focus your energy on those things. Figuring out what you want to say “yes” to. (My teacher, Maria Nemeth, talks about this generally as being a “conscious conduit of energy” - a powerful concept which you can read more about in her book, Mastering Life’s Energies.)
Back to the holiday season – being intentional about what to say “yes” to is easier said than done with all expectations that are placed on us by ourselves, family, friends, colleagues and society in general. It’s important to examine these expectations and ask ourselves, “How’s that working for me”? If it’s not working for you, be willing to say “no” to it so you can say “yes” to what is really important to you.
For me, I said yes to sending holiday cards and to smaller gatherings of family and friends. We’ve said yes to having a Christmas tree and to making decisions as a family about what causes we want to support in our charitable giving. We’ve said yes to spending time together as a family – especially during our daughter’s holiday break. So far this has not only brought us joy, but ease, giving us the space in which to enjoy this time of the year.
And when I focus on what’s most important, other things naturally fall by the wayside and that’s ok. This year what’s not happening… the big corporate holiday parties, the brilliant light show outside our home, over-shopping and baking 6 different kinds of cookies.
What would it be like for you to be intentional about how you spend the holidays? What would bring you joy and satisfaction…and maybe a bit of ease? What would it be like to leave the “shoulds” behind? And what would it be like to bring more intentionality as you design your life and work in 2012?
Happy Holidays!!!
Resources & Inspiration:
Mastering Life’s Energies by Maria Nemeth
Christine Carter’s Raising Happiness Blog
