The holidays are upon us, and during the hustle and bustle of the season, we can lose our patience, our tempers, or even (temporarily, any way) our sanity. Why not make this holiday season different? This year, when we are confronted with a stressful situation or simply another plate overflowing with food, take a step back and make each moment one of grounding and transformation. Regardless of the challenge or stress, here are three ways to pause, evaluate the situation, and make each moment count——for you.
Servet Hasaan (
The Intuitive Heart of Romance, 2011) has a new book in January,
Life in Transition. A three-part roadmap for reinventing yourself by uncovering the gifts that emerge from every situation of loss or change,
Life in Transition teaches you to embrace each situation (using your intuition as your guide) and realize the opportunities that each challenge brings———re-inventing yourself into a stronger person in the process. One method for making the moment count (by healing while in the moment) Hasan presents is to:
1. Have an Attitude of Gratitude.
Is the store out of the item you wanted to purchase for a gift? Did the turkey for your dinner party come out overdone? In these moments of frustration———whether large or small———pause and be grateful for what is
right at that moment, rather than what is wrong. Give a small prayer of thanks for the fact that you have family and friends for whom to purchase gifts, money in your wallet to do so, and the ability and resources to create culinary delights (even if a little singed). As the author points out, "Your mind can only have one thought at a time. Gratitude is the single most important tool for turning negative thoughts into positive ones."
Another new book for January is
Daily Enlightenments, by Nathalie W. Herrman. This fabulous book has an entry for each day of the year, giving us 365 daily devotions that we can read and meditate upon each day. Each entry is a simple reminder to improve the quality of our life, and each concludes with a "take away" summary affirmation about how to best apply the spiritual concept. In only five minutes of reading, this practical tool for overall well-being will ground you in a spiritual truth to improve yourself throughout each day. Herrman presents a second method to make each moment count:
2. Remain Flexible.
Did a guest for your dinner cancel at the last minute, or another arrive that did not RSVP? Perhaps you have to work late and must miss a date with your spouse, or one child's schedule conflicts with the other. As the author points out, the best thing to do is to remain flexible.
"Call it God, or Fate, or the Universe, or whatever you wish, but this is the force that determines the experience. We cannot begin to foresee what obstacles or inspiration we might encounter. Perhaps, we hit a roadblock. Or maybe something unexpected tempts us in a different direction. We fall in love. We suddenly become ill. We hit traffic, have an accident, or otherwise lose our momentum. Every time our plan is foiled, we suffer. We feel stopped in our tracks, frustrated. But we need not. We can embrace any sudden change in anticipated speed or direction understanding that a correction is being made; that there is some other plan beyond our plan that is meant for us; that there is somewhere else we are supposed to be."
In December we release
Mind, Body, Home, by Tisha Morris. This fabulous book discusses how and why our homes are connected energetically to our selves, and how by making small changes in our home we can make powerful changes in our lives. From foundation to roof, this essential guide correlates every component of your house with its physical, mental, or emotional counterpart in you. One of the first steps in creating change is to open ourselves to what Morris calls "the urge to purge." Which brings me to the third way we can open ourselves to the power of the moment during the holidays:
3. Get Rid of the Old to Make Space for the New.
The "urge to purge" can be a sudden, insatiable urge to clear things out of closets, basements, drawers, and in some cases, entire rooms. This is not a bad thing at all—space feels good, and extra clutter weighs us down energetically, making us more prone to be frustrated or emotional during stressful situations (such as those that the holidays can bring). And, since the holidays are notoriously a time for giving and receiving, make room for the new things that will find their way into your home this holiday season by clearing the objects and clutter that no longer serve you. This is also a good time to donate new or gently used items, as many kids and families do without during the holiday season. Tackle that one closet, drawer, or space in your house that you may have been neglecting. When you come upon something that hasn't been used in some time or that that fails to serve you in a positive manner, put it in a pile to be shared or donated. As Morris points out, "when it is time for those items to go, honor them by saying
Thank You and
Goodbye to each item." Not only does clearing clutter lighten our energetic load, but we also receive a positive boost from sharing with others, so this is a double-whammy of goodness. Ensure that you are open to tackling any situation by clearing your house—and at the same time, yourself.
In keeping with these themes of gratitude and holiday light, we want to extend our deepest thanks and send our sincerest blessings to everyone this holiday season. Thank you for being a part of the Llewellyn family, and may your holiday seasons shine with love and light!
