It's The Holiday Season, and yet everybody has already started to use this period of time in its benefit. I'm going to talk about some meaningful ways to enjoy this season on its top!
It depends on how many days you have, how much you work you have, will you be present with your family or Alone. All this to determine your way to spend the Holiday Season on it's the best way. So I will talk first about how you can enjoy it and what makes this season special.However, if you really want to work on the holiday, maybe on a side project or business, or even to put your college homework on track, I suggest you plan your holiday.
Plan your Holiday :
1. Reframe
Instead of thinking, "I have to go to this party, I have to get this gift, I have to decorate my tree," shift it to "I get to go to this party because I have amazing friends who want me around. I get to decorate this tree because it brings joy to my loved ones and me. I get to give this gift because I have loved ones in my life." Take on the attitude of abundance, gratefulness, and opportunity.
2. Goals and Intentions
Go into the season with clarity of intent. When we set realistic goals, we set ourselves up for success. My intention this year is to make the holiday more meaningful in whatever ways that resonate deeply with me. A few other ideas: spend more time with family, volunteer, or host an open house to celebrate with friends. Don't feel obligated to do any of these things -- it might be best to relax and take care of yourself during the holidays.
3. Reflection
Spend some time reflecting on holidays past. What are some of your best memories as a child? What are your favorite memories in adulthood? What made these moments so special to you? For me, as kids, my parents would load us into the car and play our favorite Christmas tapes. We would drive around "oohing" and "ahhing" at the colorful lights and yard decorations. So this year, I told my family we are going to load up and go look at Christmas lights. Not only is it an adventure filled with nostalgic, childlike wonder, but it's quality time with loved ones that cannot be replaced.
4. Traditions
Do you have traditions? What traditions can you create? One of my friends has a tree trimming party every year. Not only does it help him get his tree done, but it's also a great way to spend time with friends. He requests that each friend brings an ornament to put on the tree. Now each ornament represents a unique friend -- each ornament holds a story and will remind him of someone he cares deeply about. Another friend told me his family puts on a "decorate the gingerbread house" contest. Everyone brings different ingredients and materials, then they are split into teams and have one hour to decorate. At the end of that hour, the neighbors would come over to judge and award the winning team.
5. Being Present
When stressed it's usually because I am dwelling on the past or worried about the future. The simple practice of mindfulness brings me back to the present moment and as a result, eliminates stress. Also, when focused on being present we are able to fully engage with the magic of the moment and be aware of the joyful experiences we are having. Taking a few deep breaths is a sure-fire way to connect to the moment. Also, we can consciously witness our experiences by engaging the senses. What do we see, smell, hear, taste and touch?
6. Be the Light
I have a mantra that I try to live by and ask myself each day: Where can I bring light? Where can I bring love? It's an attitude I try to embody year-round, but it can definitely bring about added spirit to the holiday season. Start small: Say hello to a stranger, hold the door more often, say thank you to service providers. Even a simple smile can improve someone's day, so be conscious of the energy you bring.
7. Take Care of Yourself
Even with a holiday reframe, all of the activities of the season can still be draining. It's important that we take care of ourselves -- that we don't say yes to everything. We should make sure that we take time for our spiritual practices of mindfulness, prayer, and meditation. It's important to be conscious of what we put into our bodies and to eliminate stress through exercise and restful sleep.
Let's be conscious of the attitude and the energy that we bring as we embark on another holiday season. As we start to feel overwhelmed or stressed, we can merely shift our thoughts back to the true intent of the holidays. We can focus on sharing in the connection, the magic, and the joy that exists once we seek it.
And to finish this article, there are a few ideas of how you can become more productive during the holiday, I will start with a really simple, yet, counter-intuitive way:
- Try to spend more time with your family: For eg: Try to help your mom a bit in the kitchen or in other household chores. Play with your siblings. Have conversations about topics with a common interest with your dad.
- Visit holy places and places of historical significance or simply you can visit any place you haven't visited before: It will help you in developing religious sentiments and will make you proud of your country's cultural heritage. Visiting new places calms our mind and makes us happy.
- Take out more time for your hobby: Whatever your hobby maybe give it more time than you usually do.
- Try out some new things: Things that you thought about doing or learning in the past but didn't get time. for eg: If you like music, you can learn to play the guitar or whichever musical instrument you like. Nowadays you don't even need a teacher. Youtube is there for you and many other self-learning sites too.
- Try to read some new novels, the autobiography of famous people, self-help books: It will increase your vocabulary as well as your knowledge and change your perception of life.
- Do meditation, exercise and keep yourself healthy: I always end up gaining some weight whenever I have long holidays and am staying in my home. We get lazy during this period and our alertness also decreases. Therefore, it becomes somewhat necessary to do exercise and meditation as during this period we cannot complain about our busy schedule and lack of time.
Lbiinga
Getting Rich From Scratch
