Many people get time off this time of year.  Between Advent, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Soya Luna, Dong Zhi, Boxing Day, Omisoka, and others I’ve left out, we should all get some days off in December.  Are you going to make the most of them?

I know, I’m making it sound like work, which is what you’re trying to get away from, but bear with me on this for a few paragraphs.

The holidays are an excellent excuse to develop one of the most important skills you can have – social.  Happiness in life, to a large degree, comes from good relationships with other people, in your family and personal life, as well as at your work.  The work on emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman and others suggests that your social skills will have more of an impact on your success than your intellectual ability, education, and experience combined.  How are your social skills?

Fortunately, social skills are both learned and learnable.  Some of us come to them more naturally than others due to our personality types, but there is much to be said for how we were brought up as well.  If you had a parent who was naturally the “life of the party,” you either embraced their talent and easily mix with others, or you shied away from social situations and feel uncomfortable even today among family, friends, and peers.

While there are many points I could make about social skills, the biggest mistake I see people make in social settings is that they get too wrapped up in themselves.  No one joins a pity party, so never start a conversation with everything wrong that’s happened to you over the past year.

Instead, be interested, not interesting.  Ask questions.  How’s your spouse?  How old are your children now?  What colleges are they pursuing?  Be on the lookout for ways you can genuinely help someone else.  Maybe one of your employees’ teenagers is trying to get into an internship program and the person making the decision is in another one of your social groups.  A “good word” from you just might be the spark that establishes a win-win for both parties and makes you look like a hero.

Of course at some point you’ll need to share a few things about yourself, and without being untruthful, describe your life in the best light possible.  Expressing an attitude of, “I lost my job in October due to cutbacks in my company, so I’ve had a lot of time to research myself and my talents and I am eagerly awaiting the next opportunity,” will inspire others to help you in whatever way they can, while an attitude of, “I got canned and I’m waiting for MY government bailout,” will make others want to “move on.”

Spend quality and quantity time with your immediate family.  Create memories.  Plan vacations and local outings that everyone will enjoy.  Most importantly, let your intention be to have fun, then relax and let it happen.

When you dedicate yourself to creating and maintaining a wonderful personal life, the quality of every other area of your life will improve.  You will be happier, healthier, more rested, relaxed, and productive.  You will experience greater happiness and satisfaction at home, and you will be far more effective and capable when you go back to work.

Have an inspirational holiday!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Inspiration, Motivation

It’s the time of year again where we all take on more than we probably should:  Extra parties, extra chores, extra shopping, extra expense, extra devotion of our personal time, and extra of just about everything.  All of that “extra”vaganza can leave us feeling overwhelmed and burned out.  Today I want to share with you a couple of ways I’ve learned to chill out during the holiday season.

Pace yourself. This might require a little forethought and planning, but will be well worth it.  For example, in decorating the house and the office for the Christmas holiday, I started early, and spread the projects out over 2 weeks.  I’ve found that if I try to do everything in 2-3 days, I end up physically exhausted for two weeks anyway.  By spreading things out, I have more time to think about how I’m going to decorate, making my projects better in the long run.   I have time to shop for additional items to make everything truly special.  I enjoy the process instead of dreading it.

Meditate. Have you heard about this?  It’s not just for metaphysical, new age, positive-thinking junkies anymore.  More and more studies at top research facilities around the world are documenting scientific evidence of the health and longevity benefits of meditation.  In fact, it’s become a widely acknowledged fact that daily meditation is not just good for you, but has been proven to actually extend your life.

Now, like many of you, I find it very difficult to find the time and/or patience to sit down, quiet my mind, and let go of all those thoughts racing around in my head.  I know I should, I believe in the benefits, but getting even 15 minutes of uninterrupted time during a workday can be tough, and if I can make it happen, I feel like I should do something with those precious moments!

So what I do instead, is schedule time during my lunch break where I listen to either my favorite classical music CD, or my Immrama Institute CDs.   Fifteen to twenty minutes is all it takes to feel both physically and mentally refreshed.

If you have the patience and discipline to meditate without these aids, you probably don’t need me to give you any advice and you already know the benefits.  I have one friend who uses music for the first five minutes, and then meditates without it after that – what a great idea!

Your assignment for today is to start pacing yourself a little more this holiday season, and make some time to meditate.  If necessary, make your meditation time an appointment on your calendar and combine it with a treat, like a bubble bath, cup of hot cocoa, or reading a few pages in a favorite book – whatever would help you get the process started.  Gradually add your ritual to your daily routine and enjoy the benefits of a less stressful, happier life.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Inspiration, Motivation

December 1st marks the beginning of the Christmas season in our house and this year, I have a new dental office to decorate – FUN!  Since I like to mix things up a bit every year, I’ve decided to take the tree that is normally at the house and put it up in the new office.  (I don’t have a real tree because I’m allergic to pine.  Please don’t email me.)

Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks to keep the decorating process tidy, and this year my overly anal-retentive tendencies are paying off!  Here are a few tips I want to share with you today.

1. First things first – take inventory.  It’s best if you do this at the end of the season, but if you didn’t make a list of all your holiday decorations last year, do it now.  I like to use what I have first, then buy only what I need.  It seems to make even more sense this year.
2. Take time to think about existing themes.  I have a Thomas Kinkade print of a winter scene that has blue matting.  It’s gorgeous!  I’ve always wanted to do the entire house in blue, white, and purple (to match the dining room).   However, I always end up with red on the tree just because I have so many red ornaments.  This year, I’m moving the red to the new office, and will get to try the blue, white, and purple I’ve been dreaming of.  (I’ll post pictures in a few days.)
3. Use an automated card-sending service to mail holiday cheer to those friends and family members you don’t get to spend as much time with as you’d like.  I know that a lot of people have stopped sending cards, but even more a reason to do so – it is so appreciated!  It’s not so much that the card itself matters, but knowing that you remembered them means a lot.  FYI–USPS has suggested that holiday cards be sent BEFORE December 15, 2008, in order for them to arrive in your recipients’ mailboxes by December 25.
4. Relax, give yourself plenty of time, and enjoy the decorating process.  It takes me a full 8 hours just to put up my Christmas tree.  This year, I plan to spend a minimum of 5 days on the office and house combined, possibly more.  But it will be worth it.  There’s nothing better than a warmly lit, sparkling house on a cold night.  (And it’s sleeting here as I write this – I’ve got my work cut out for me!)
5. Show off (and enjoy) your hard work by inviting friends over.  I don’t do all of this for myself, although it would be fine if I did since I enjoy it so much.  There are many people who don’t have the time, energy, or wherewithal to decorate, so share your creativity and abundance with them.  Throw a cookie party, invite guests you haven’t seen in a while, or have the entire (extended) family over for a meal.  Just be sure that you take some time before the event to sit, relax, and take in the beauty.

Of course, there’s more to the season than just decorating and organizing, but that’s another post, and I’ve got to get back to work!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Inspiration, Motivation