I have been reading a lot of posts online about how people are spending more money this year than last Christmas. They are stressed about spending too much , gifts not being appreciated, cutting off all gift giving and going in debt.
Everyone was piling on.
I feel curdled just reading it all.
I am offering you a quieter, simpler thought to go into the second half of December.
And I wish you joy for the holiday season.
“Joy does not arrive with a fanfare,
on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.
Joy sneaks in as you pour a cup of coffee,
watching the sun hit your favorite tree just right.
And you usher joy away because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be for such a distinguished guest.
But joy cares nothing for your messy home,
or your bank balance or your waistline, you see.
Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life.
That’s how joy works.
You cannot invite her.
You can only be ready when she appears.
And hug her with meaning.
Because in this very moment joy chose you.”
~Donna Ashworth
This beautiful poem can be found in Donna’s book of poetry, Wild Hope. I first heard it enchantingly read by Harry Baker on HarryBakerPoet’s Instagram feed.
Happy Holidays!
I went Christmas shopping with a friend last night.
Our gift giving styles are very different.
Compared to my family, she was buying a lot of presents.
And let’s just say that she feels a lot more pressure to “get it right” when it comes to gift selection.
That must suck the fun out of shopping. She was looking pretty stressed.
But no matter how many gifts you buy or how few…
A gentle reminder for the holidays:
You can’t make someone love a gift you give them.
You can’t make someone feel loved because you give them a gift.
How they receive is up to them.
You can’t step inside their body and make them feel something.
You can only feel what you choose to feel.
Let yourself off the hook.
Enjoy the process of shopping since that’s what you have control over.
And let go of the outcome.
It’s out of your control anyway.
If you are kind and share what you have, when you get more money you will share more.
If you are graspy and greedy, when you have more money, your graspy greedy energy is amped up.
Money exposes who you are.
If you are an asshole, you will be a bigger asshole.
If you are an angel, well, come sit by me. I want you to rub off on me.
Did you go out shopping on Black Friday?
That stress can amplify how you react to scarcity and competition.
How did you act?
Were you having fun or were you knocking little old ladies down to get your hands on the last gaming console in the store?
Don’t worry that more money will change you.
It will just amplify you.
The true change will come from you digging deep in your toolbar of inner resources to create more value in the world…
which in turn creates more money.
You don’t just change. You evolve.