Podcast Episode 136 - Growing through the aftermath of the holidays and discovering the gold
/
Have you ever had a holiday not go as planned?
Well, have you ever had a holiday actually go as planned?! LOL
Today I want to have a conversation about what happens when your holidays don’t go as planned and how you can grow through it and make it better next time.
Most of us probably had some kind of plan or idea of how we wanted this Christmas to go, but have you noticed how it didn’t look anything like what we planned for most of us? Yea, me too!
I had everything planned out…not to the T because that’s not how I roll, but most of it was planned out. But life threw us some loops.
The biggest one was my dad got sick.
So the first thing we need to do is this:
1. Roll with the punches
We can’t plan everything out, especially when it involves other people. Stuff changes, people get sick, or someone changes the plan. Anything is up for grabs.
So, since we can’t change most of what pops up, just roll with the punches and adjust the plan.
We FaceTimed my dad in so he could watch the kids open gifts, and my husband brought him brunch so he could enjoy what we were having. Not ideal, but better than nothing, right?!
I almost missed out on the enjoyment of Evan’s water baptism because of some last minutes changes. I had to talk myself through being present in the moment, so I didn’t miss the moment. I shifted, rolled with the punches and enjoyed the moment.
2. Reflect and see what you can change to make it better (or more enjoyable)
I thought I’d simplified over the years, but when I was so exhausted by Christmas Eve evening that I couldn’t fully be present and enjoy the people, I realized I needed to simplify even more.
So I reflected on my cookie-making and decided to buy cookies next year at Grandma’s Cookies in downtown St. Charles instead of making them. My kids like those sugar cookies better anyways, and it’s less work. Plus, we can still create an experience by all going together and picking out the cookies.
What can you do to simplify so you can enjoy the holidays more?
Keep what you love and energize you, and adjust or change what drains you.
Are you doing all things for others to get accolades or boost your identity? If it’s for our identity, that’s an area we need to work on.
3. Mine for treasure
Dig for the golden moments that are beautiful and memorable moments.
There are always gold moments we can discover in all the craziness, but we must hunt for them.
My son declared, “This is the best Christmas Eve ever!!”
I asked why, thinking he’d say something about presents or family, and he said, “I got water baptized!”
