All I Want For Christmas

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We've had Black Friday, Cyber Monday and there will be a lot more days of wild saving and spending before we get to Christmas. People may have already begun asking you what you would like. This year, think smart. Think about what really might make a difference in getting your dreams off the ground.

Maybe you'd like a few subscriptions to some magazinees you know could help you better budget your money, reach your goals or keep you in the loop about business and career development.

If you are thinking about changing careers, maybe a few sessions with career coach would make a great gift.

Maybe you are almost ready to have a website and might like several domain names or even a few hours of web designer time purchased by someone who really wants to get you something you truly need.

Let's face it, sometimes the best sales are after Christmas and you can get the boots you must have or the sweater you will only wear one season then. Don't ask for the things you can easily get yourself, request something you have been telling yourself you really wish you could afford. I don't mean tickets to that concert you could see on video one hour after it ends, but maybe a chance to go to one or two of those great conferences you have always wanted to attend. Instead of a membership to the book of the month or a wine club, why not suggest your loved ones contribute towards membership dues in a professional  organization where you can network and meet the right people and learn the ropes to help you go after your dreams?

Maybe you need to think about requesting payment for a few classes that will sharpen your skills or give you a better idea of how to get your dream off the ground. Go for upgrading your resume instead of your wardrobe. You can't buy tomorrow's dreams with yesterday's know how.

From emergingleader.com

Most people really want to purchase a gift that is meaningful and will be well used. Think outside of the box this year when someone asks what you would like and while we are on the subject, here are two wonderful ideas for Christmas for yourself or to purchase for a friend who needs that little push to get started:

From now until December 24, for every paperback copy of FINDING YOUR FIRE sold, 20% will go to helping victims of domestic trafficking be rehabilitated and take a rightful place back into society. Purchase your copy of FINDING YOUR FIRE and help yourself or someone who needs to discover what their passion really is and help another at the same time. Promise yourself you will be one of the trailblazers sharing their story someday.

Buy your ticket now for the CALLED WOMAN CONFERENCE in March while there is still a substantial discount. Buy one for yourself and your friend, mom, sister, niece, cousin or daughter. This year's theme is Let's Do Launch and if you or anyone you know is ready to really get their passion off the ground, spend a day learning all the nuts and bolts you need to get an idea, business or product off the ground. Hear amazing people share how they did it and fire up your resolution not to waste another year wondering what might have been had you only got your idea started.

Don't be shy...Make this the Christmas you stopped getting items that really didn't get you anywhere and instead ask for what you truly need to help you get your passion from a dream to a reality.

What do you really need for Christmas to get you closer to making your passion, happen?

Thankful For What I Don't Have

An "oldie" post that I always feel is timely, because it is so easy to think about what we have to be grateful for rather than what we escaped from or what never came to be that was actually a far better blessing.

Thanksgiving always brings thoughts of blessings too numerous to count. Easily, I can identify what I have been so graciously given often without truly deserving these blessings. But it is what I did not get or what did not happen that perhaps makes me even more grateful.

So this Thanksgiving, I want to remember to thank God for the times He has spared me what could have been tragic news; for the illnesses that I didn't have, the financial ruin that did not come my way, the losses I have not experienced. I am grateful I have not lost a loved one in combat or a child before they were born.Thank you for the times you allowed me to avoid the accidents that could have happened, the mistakes that could have cost me more than I realized, the train wrecks that might have been. I am blessed to have avoided many catastrophes by the protection of an Almighty God.

Thank you for redirecting me from dysfunctional people and/or circumstances that would have left my life far different from the one I know. Thank you for your mercy when my judgments were poor and for your grace allowing outcomes brighter than I might have expected.  Thank you for not allowing abuse, intolerance or disrespect into my relationship with my spouse or children. I am grateful to have never known abandonment.

I am so very thankful that I do not know hunger or homelessness. Things so easily had by many; unemployment, chronic illnesses, tragic events, separation from loved ones because of war or other circumstances; all of these I was spared. I am blessed that I do not have to wash in a public shelter, scavenge through garbage for my next meal or sleep under an overpass. You have kept famine, torture and violence from my daily routines. Yes, I am so grateful for the things that might have been; but for the grace of God.



How about you?  Can you offer a thanks for what you do not have to deal with or what you were spared? Can you discover your passion or your fire in what you were blessed not to have had to deal with?

It is not what you have that is always the blessing but perhaps what you have avoided.

Related articles

• "thanksgiving:" a word of action
• Thanksgiving Challenge

NEED SOME CHANGE?

Today's blog post is from a guest, Sheila Henry a psychotherapist who not only advocates for happiness but demonstrates how to start getting to your happy core by learning to change. She also is a lover of dogs and recognizes how animals can be therapeutic in our happiness quest.

How to Happily Embrace Change

Embrace Change in Your Life
Change is a very good thing! Routines and status quo in your life can leave you feeling stuck, so changing your daily routine in a small way or setting out to accomplish something even bigger (like a new career) can give your life new meaning with new challenges to overcome. Change stimulates the brain and can actually make you feel quite happy and good, as long as you are not the type to be shocked and surprised by changes in your life.

Why Do We Fear Change?
Most people have something (or many things) in their life that they would like to change, but, they feel powerless. They may even think that they just can’t do it so why even try. And others just feel tremendous fear about what a change will mean in their life.

Many experience difficulty making permanent life changes. For example, you may want to initiate a change in your life by adding a daily exercise routine. So, you excitedly join a gym, and go for a bit, then come up with excuses. We know we should do it, we wanted it to happen, but, we can’t stick to the change we are trying to make.

Getting Started with Change
If you are really serious about making a change in your life, ask yourself what do you need in your life to make it happen? Be honest with yourself and practical in your answer and really give it a lot of thought.

Once you have your list, set reasonable goals, short and longer term that are actually achievable. Instead of just buying the gym membership, agree what days and times you will go and schedule them on your calendar like an appointment. Have consequences for yourself if you do not accomplish the schedule you have set. If you have sabotaged yourself before, be ready for how to counteract this if it happens again. Have a plan and be prepared.

Measuring Success
As you strive to accomplish your goals, paint a clear visual picture in your mind about what success looks like to you. What does it feel like in your body to have achieved the goals? How will you act? What will others say to you and about you? Be as detailed as possible, and write it in a journal so you can reinforce the vision.

A Job Well Done
Be sure to celebrate all milestones along the way. You can decide what rewards are deserved at what level. A short term goal for working out at the gym a certain number of days per week may be that after 1 month you buy yourself new workout clothes. When you lose 10 pounds, take yourself to your favorite healthy restaurant! It’s up to you, but, be sure to write it down as part of your plan.

Finally, and most importantly, you must feel the change NOW! If you’ve wanted to lose weight so that you can buy a sexy dress, buy that dress now. Meditate (or use self-hypnosis) on having that desired body. Feel the new you in your body as you start carrying yourself with more pride and a feeling of success. Start living your life as if you’ve already reached your goal. This is the only way you will get there and you'll be happy you did.

WHAT'S THAT ONE CHANGE YOU REALLY NEED TO MAKE?

Sheila Henry is a marriage and family therapist  in San Diego. She has had a private practice for over 25 years. She helps clients identify goals, recognize obstacles that impede reaching their goals and activate a plan for success. See if Sheila can help you CREATE MORE HAPPINESS

10 EXCUSES LOSERS DON'T VOTE

Yes, it IS a big deal. The 15th amendment gave it to African American males. It took another 50 years for women to have the privilege and nearly another 50 for 18 year olds to get the same. The right to vote has been earned and proctected by Consitutional amendments, Acts of Congress and Supreme Court decisions.

It's your voice and voices are made to be heard. Don't succumb to any of the following reasons losers don't vote.

1.  I am too reluctant to let total strangers see my driver's license or photo I.D. (didn't that bartender just see it this weekend?)

2. I hate waiting in line? (but not for the latest phone.)

3.  I don't know anything about anyone who is seeking office (but I did vote in the latest American Idol finals)

4. I don't know how to use the voting machines (but I can beat anyone at Halo 4)...Can you button your own clothing?

5. I don't know where to vote (Seriously cave dwelling is no longer cool.)

6. They don't have any Starbucks at the voting location (You are right and there are no refreshments, entertainment or prizes...just the chance to keep a freedom while you can)

7. Being with a bunch of strangers means exposing myself to all types of germs (Does that restaurant, library, night club or party you attend have a germ free zone?)

8. Only old people are running for office (yeah, like you are getting younger every day!)

9. Someone might see me and it might look bad for my image (because those pajama bottoms you where to every sporting event really elevate your status in everyone's eyes)

10. It's only one vote and it doesn't make a difference.(Let's let everyone who thinks that see what type of a country we live in less than 10 years from now)

Rutherford B Hayes (yeah, that's a real person) won his presidential bid by ONE vote. (maybe it was your great, great, great grandfather's but yours might be the ONE that makes a difference for your children, grandchildren or great great grandchildren.)

Don't be a loser... USE YOUR VOICE and VOTE because you STILL CAN and that might not always be the story we tell.

Related articles

• Voices Without A Vote
• Voting IS the best revenge - Baja Democrats
• Hello, Central, Get Me Rutherford B. Hayes