December 4, 2008

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In This Issue

Featured Article: Appreciating the Holidays

Audio Tip

Announcements

Speaking Schedule

Daddy's Little Girls

 

Greetings!

Welcome to another issue of Appreciation in Action. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying the holiday season. In the midst of all of the hustle and bustle of this time of year, and with everything going on in our country and our world – it is important for us to take some time to step back, reflect, and appreciate all of the good stuff within us, around us, and in those close to us.

I’m honored and grateful to have you on my newsletter list.

With Appreciation,

 

Appreciating the Holidays

If you’re anything like me you probably have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I love the excitement, parties, decorations, rituals, music, gifts, and more. However, even these things can wear on me. And, the stress, drama, consumption, obligation, and more that often come along with this time of year are not on my list of “favorite things.”

In addition, I often feel like I’m not doing enough, not on top of my “list,” and I worry that I won’t get everything done in time to make the people in my life happy the way I want to. Can you relate?

This year, especially with all that’s going on around us in the economy and the world, what if we each made a commitment to appreciate the holiday season, have fun, and enjoy the whole experience – regardless of our circumstances or any external pressure we may feel? Appreciating the holiday season, as with anything in life, will make it much more enjoyable and much less stressful.

Here are a few things we can remember this holiday season to make things more fun and less overwhelming.

1) Take Responsibility for Our Experience. It’s important that we each remember, myself included, that the stress we experience during the holiday season does not come from the holidays themselves, but from us. We’re always the creators of our own experience and the more we can remember this and live our lives from this perspective, the more empowered we are.

2) Remember We’re at Choice. We always have a choice about how we engage with anything. This holiday season we can choose to be annoyed by family members, obligations, forced work gatherings, crowds, or anything else. Or, we can choose to enjoy the magic and fun of this time of year.

3) Focus on What We Appreciate About the Holidays. Consciously choose to focus on the things that you appreciate about the holiday season the most. Tell the truth about this to yourself and to those around you. If at all possible, don’t participate in work or family gatherings out of obligation. But, regardless of where you are, what you do, or whom you are with – make a commitment to appreciate what’s happening, the people around you, and the many blessings in your life right now.

Even and especially when things are challenging, we always have so much to be grateful for. At this time of the year, we can take a step back, pat ourselves on the back, breathe deeply, and experience the gratitude we have for our lives, the people in it, and for ourselves. If not now, then when?

Enjoy these next few weeks…it’s up to you, as it always is. Happy Holidays!

How will you appreciate the holidays? Share your thoughts on my blog here.

Appreciating the Holidays

For some additional ideas and specific tips about how to appreciate the holidays, check out this week's audio clip.

Click here to listen.

Give Good Stuff to the

people who matter to you:
We’re excited to announce a special holiday promotion for my book, FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF: The Power of Appreciation. Giving this book to your family members, friends, co-workers, clients, and others for the holidays is a wonderful way to say, "I appreciate you" and to empower them to create success and fulfillment in their lives for the New Year. And, with all of the negativity swirling around us right now, this is a positive, up-lifting gift that will make a difference in the lives of those you give it to! In addition to getting discounted copies of the book, you’ll also receive hundreds of dollars in free bonus products from inspiring authors and speakers like Marianne Williamson, Jack Canfield, Jeffrey Gitomer, and about 25 others. For details and to take part in the promotion, click on the link below:
http://www.focusonthegoodstuff.com/holiday

Below is a list of where I’m speaking in the next few months. All of these events are for my corporate or organizational clients (i.e. not open to the public). If you live in any of the cities where I’ll be traveling and want to contact me about setting up a speaking engagement for your group or company while I’m in town, feel free to contact me. I will have more public events scheduled later in 2009…stay tuned. Thanks!

12/9/08 – Concord, CA

12/16/08 – San Francisco, CA

1/14/09 – San Francisco, CA

1/29/09 – Palo Alto, CA

1/30/09 – Lincoln, NE

2/17/09 – Columbus, OH

2/20/09 – San Francisco, CA

2/27/09 – San Francisco, CA

“We appreciate the holidays. This is Annarose’s first holiday season and she is excited. Thanks for being on daddy’s newsletter list. Happy Holidays!”
– Samantha and Annarose Robbins

 

For more photos of Annarose and Samantha, click here:
http://www.jklifestories.com/RosieArrives/