How keep the Happy in Happy Holidays.
The holidays are coming and if you are like most people, you
have mixed feelings about it. Here is how to keep the Happy in
Happy Holidays.
First, make a conscious decision that you will be happy this
holiday season. Making the decision that you will be happy
creates expectations in your mind that you will be happy and
your life will begin to align itself to make this happen. The
decision causes you to focus on making it happen by planning for
it and taking actions to make it happen. Decide what will make
you truly happy and start implementing the plans for it right
now. Remember we tend to get what we focus on and by focusing on
having a happy holiday season you can increase the odds this
will happen. You will be in control of your life and this will
improve your morale as well.
So what would make you truly happy this holiday season? Pick up
the phone right now and invite someone you would enjoy being
with to lunch. Get out you planner and ink in a day of visiting
people and places you have been wanting to but didn't have time
to. The key is to decide what you want to do and make it happen.
That way you are insured of having some of the key pieces needed
for a happy holiday in place.
Ask yourself what you can do more of to make the holidays fun
and also what you can do less of that takes away from the fun.
Make an effort to maximize the fun things and minimize the less
fun things as you plan your holiday activities. The 80/20 rule
states that we get 80% of the results from 20% of our
activities. So concentrate on the 20% of your activities that
give you 80% of your satisfaction during the holidays. I take
the 80/20 rule a step further to point out that we also get 80%
of our dissatisfaction from 20% of our activities, so
concentrate on cutting those activities down.
Next plan to make the year 2006 your best year ever. Planning to
make 2006 your best year ever will help you have a happier
holiday season by giving you hope as you view your life. When we
have hope for the future, we can tolerate things in the present
a lot better. Even if events get a little hectic in the holiday
season you will find that you won't notice it as much as your
focus will be on the happier times ahead. As a side note, the
technique of focusing on a better future can be used to get you
over any tough time in your life, not just the holidays. We will
help you make 2006 your best year yet in a future article, but
for now we will focus on the upcoming holidays.
Give yourself a reality check on what to expect during the
holiday season. We tend to think that the images that are
projected in ads or movies are what we should be experiencing
ourselves and this can cause frustration and disappointment. Not
everyone can be happy at every moment during the holiday season.
Accept the fact that you will have ups and downs and this is
just a fact of life, you are not a failure or a bad person
because of it.
Begin to say no to some of the holiday events that will be
coming up. Pass some of the lower priority events up entirely,
and cut the time you spend at more important events down. Can
you turn a dinner invitation, into a stop by for dessert type
situation for instance? I will let you in on a secret, some of
the people inviting you to events would rather be doing other
things themselves and will secretly be glad you cut the time
down, or switched the event to early in 2006 when things are
less hectic and you can really enjoy yourselves.
Take care of yourself physically. Get enough sleep, watch what
you eat and drink, and get your exercise and so on. If your body
won't support you, you can't enjoy the holidays.
Look for ways to make time to be by yourself during the
holidays, even if it is just a twenty-minute nap. During the
holidays, we tend to be with more people than normal and our
time alone is cut down. Make sure you have some time alone to
regain your balance and reduce your stress.
Spend some time helping the less fortunate than you. Helping
others helps you as well as the people you are assisting. Seeing
others less fortunate than you helps you realize how good you
have it and gives you a lasting sense of satisfaction when you
see your efforts with the less fortunate take effect.
Now here is a real "grinchish" suggestion. Don't cut back on
your time you spend on your job during the holidays as much as
you might be tempted to. Some people take vacation days during
the holidays and this extra time at home can wear thin fast. If
you add many extra days to the holidays you already will have,
you may find yourself bored at home or involved in activities
that you don't enjoy. The weather can be bad during the holidays
and finding yourself housebound doing things you don't enjoy can
really rob you of enjoyment. The first workday in January is
always the one day everyone arrives early.
The holiday season truly can be a wonderful time. You can see
people you enjoy, you can express your love and receive love,
you can do things you wouldn't normally take time to do and so
on. If you take time to focus on making these things happen for
you and cut down on the things that take you away from that, you
will indeed have a Happy Holiday.