December 26, 2021
THE HOLIDAY EPISODE: Practical Wisdom for Living The Magic, Wonder, and True Meaning of the Holidays.
The WISDOM podcast Season 1 Episode 10
a little love, magic and wonder from Season One....
TIMESTAMPS:
Podcast Intro: 0-2:09 | Episode Intro & Your Thrive Guide to the Holidays: 2:11 | Do You Attempt to Recreate Magical Moments? 2:54 | 2 Questions to Engage Your Inner Wisdom for Joy and Happiness: 5:07 | Create Your Game Plan; aka Your Holiday Strategy: 7:31 | The Full Thrive Guide Formula: 3 Best Practices: 949 | 1. Be Love: 10:08 | 2. Bring Joy: 15:39 | | 3. Offer Peace: 22:22 | Episode Summary and My Wish For You✨: 27:07 | Podcast Outro: 27:54
The psychology behind our desire to recreate and re-live our most cherished memories of holidays past is to feel that same childlike joy, fascination, and wonder that was magical.
In this episode we dive into The Three Best Practices for cultivating the magic of the holidays in real time; and the strategy for how to do this most successfully.
This is your thrive guide for the holidays.
TRUTH SERUM: You decide that something is magical and beautiful because of how you choose to think about it. Let your memories of Christmases past be inspiration as you witness the magic and beauty of life all around you. We sometimes forget our ability to conjure magic in simple things.
A-HA MOMENTS: It matters that you find and feel joy in the real meaning of the holidays. Practice being love, bringing joy, and offering peace as you cultivate the present moment experiences of wonder, joy, and enchantment at the holidays.
PRACTICAL WISDOM: It is you that co-creates the magic; by choice. This episode offers an experience of high level consciousness and the best strategy for cultivating magic, wonder and love.
Do you aim to recreate the magical moments of holidays past?
Do you imagine yourself at a particular moment in time during childhood where everything was enchanting; surreal, and as if you were living in a fantasy?
We tend to go to moments of our childhood as they evoke imagination and powerful imagery that immediately places us back in that time of innocence, of wonder, and of belief in the magic of the holidays.
Do you think back to memories that evoke pure joy, laughter, and fun, so that you can feel those precise feelings now?
As a child, you may have anticipated what gifts were waiting for you under the tree on Christmas morning or what you might receive on every night of Hanukkah.
As an adult, I encourage you to decide how you will curate magic and wonder by design so that you can experience joy, anticipation, excitement, and of course love because you've opened your heart to it; and because of the actions that you've taken to feel magic through the acts of giving, of being grateful, of loving kindness and of nurturing your relationships with your loved ones.
In this episode we dive into the best strategy for curating the magic of the holidays; and for experiencing joy in the anticipation of new experiences and shared laughter and fun. I hope that you will want to continue using these Three Best Practices as 'the' strategy for how you live life!
Discover new ways to feel the magic and wonder of the holidays by opening your heart; and by being grateful for everything as it is now.
What can you say and do to bring joy and comfort to others through your kind words and actions?
Let's begin with a few questions. Right here is a perfect opportunity to engage your inner wisdom. Let whatever intuitive answers that rise up, be what you give your attention to.
Grab some paper and a pen because you are going to want to capture the first impressions and ideas that enter your mind.
These are important and will be worth exploring more as you decide what new actions and thoughts you will hold for what you wish to co-create.
What are your sources of joy? What allows you to feel happiness easily?
Write your answers. Point form. Dare to speak these aloud so that you can hear the enjoyment in your voice as you speak your words.
Next ask yourself: How will I feel love, joy and happiness throughout the holidays?
The key here is: how will you feel this for yourself. (For example, do you need to to be kind to yourself to feel love? Do you feel joy and happiness when you are doing something that you enjoy?)
Take a few moments here and consider this. Let whatever impressions and pictures that come to mind be helpful cues for you. Record your answers so that you can remember this inspiration and implement it.
Your visual prompts and ideas will help you create a game plan.
The notes that you are making right here, right now will help you decide the strategy of the next several days and weeks of the holidays. It may also give you new ideas for the best practices in which to live your life.
As much as we all love to feel enchantment, magic, and wonder; which is often cultivated by reminiscing about a past memory or experience that we associate with feelings of love and joy, I want you to decide how you will evoke these incredible feelings by choosing the specific actions and the attitude that will allow you to feel the way you want to feel throughout the holiday season.
And, and if you've already figured this out, yes indeed - this is about what you can do to evoke these feelings and not what you might wait for or hope that someone will do for you.
We often idealize a situation that we would like but without taking all of the steps that ensures that we may have this. This is how you manifest your reality.
If you haven't yet, please listen next to Episode 8 of the WISDOM Podcast which is all about how you manifest your desires.
In thinking about how you will decide to feel the magic, wonder and love at this time of year, my hope is that this becomes a plan that inspires you to choose how you want to feel and experience life; and to remember that above all else, you always have a choice; and that it is you that defines your magical moments, whether at the holidays or any time because of your ability to hold presence in the moments of your life and to look for and see the beauty, the magic, in most everything; and perhaps in all of life.
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What allows you to feel joyful at the holidays? Does happiness and joy originate within you; and with your choice to be joyful, kind, and loving?
What makes the holidays enjoyable, less stressful and chaotic, more nourishing of love and self-care, is a rather simple yet ingenious formula - your thrive guide if you will, consisting of three effective principles or 'best practices'.
First: 'Be Love'. Practice giving love to yourself - first.
Honour what you believe in and what is right for you (especially since others have different value systems and beliefs relating to the holidays). Ensure that you have ample time for giving to yourself; for what is important to you, and what nourishes your soul. This will always be healthy practices that allow you to feel 'in-balance', supported, and uplifted. Giving to yourself first is not selfish.
The definition of selfish is to lack consideration for others; and to seek or focus on your own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.
Giving to yourself is self-nourishing, and builds healthy self-worth. It is necessary for your well-being and positive mental state to care for and be loving towards yourself.
As you practice and nurture self-love, it is easier to be loving to others; to give to others of your time and care, because you have first been able to care for your needs.
The questions and visualization we did a moment ago was to reveal to you what you need to feel happiness, joy and the energy of love. Ensure that you take these ideas and implement them daily.
As the holidays approach and then as you become immersed in them, give to yourself as the first task of the day; even if in small ways. To acknowledge love unto yourself will have great payoffs. You will feel more 'in balance', happier, more easily able to navigate stress and challenges, and you will find it even easier to give love to others.
This first principle is also a best practice for how to live life.
Learn to take care of your needs on a regular (moment-by-moment) basis so that you can easily be at your best, and to be this with others. Consider that when you are agitated or in a low mood, it will be more difficult to wear a smile and engage with positivism.
From a positive mood state, it is far easier and less stressful to engage in conversation and to be 'on' for the moments when you are in settings that are challenging. If it helps, repeat the mantra: 'be love' or 'I am love'. It will remind you of your higher consciousness directives and it will help so much with a joyful, loving holiday experience.
How do you become better at the choices that will help you take better care of yourself and do what nourishes your soul?
How do you better assess your needs and give yourself more love when there doesn't seem to be enough time in a day for this?
Here are some best practices and the positive mindset that is needed to ensure that you take the best care of yourself because to do so is self-nourishing and self-love.
1. Self-care and self-love begin as a mindset. It's something that you must decide is important first in order for you to make this a priority in your life. In the questions that you have already answered about what are your sources of joy and happiness, use your answers to inspire a plan for how you will practice self-care, balance, and love directed unto yourself during a time of year in which you may feel more pressure and external demands from others, and especially if you are new to this practice.
This is why it's important to decide and map out in advance, what you are comfortable to do, and what you will decline.
Saying 'yes' to everything may be helpful for some, however if you are honouring your needs and if this includes a need to decline some activities, or to choose how you will participate in something because in doing so, it honours your beliefs, then following this practice of self-care and self-love will help greatly in taking care of yourself.
Discover how you can give to yourself in the ways that will sustain you and allow you to feel inherent joy; and how this is important and not selfish nor self-serving.
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"Self-care and self-love is the ability to acknowledge what would make you happiest; what is right and best for you, and to consistently give this to yourself." - Dorothy Ratusny
Second: 'Bring joy'. When you are inherently happy; when you recognize that authentic happiness is an experience that you choose; and based upon the positive feelings that you allow yourself to feel; that are inherently a part of you, you know that happiness is not the result of what others think, say, or do.
This means that at holiday gatherings, others may not always be at their best; and you as well may have hurt feelings from unresolved past situations.
Without needing anything or anyone to be responsible for your happiness, you can choose to bring joy; to show up at holiday functions and family gatherings in a positive mood state, and this allows you to spread joy; to observe how your innate happiness is like a feel good experience that is contagious.
One of the easiest ways to feel happiness instinctively is through gratitude and love. If you are being loving, you are also going to feel happiness. When you are thankful for what is in your life; for all of the good that you might take for granted, you will immediately elicit feelings of happiness from within.
Be happy and fully present with family and friends. Practice feeling gratitude and love for all that you have in your life; even as you continue to work on making aspects different or better.
The holidays are a time for many of us to come together for a short while; make this time joyful.
Consider how magical it was for you to feel joy and happiness as a child because of how others wanted so much for you to feel the magic of the holidays. Now, bring joy into the lives of others as you decide to be happy and positive and as you share of yourself fully.
"Important for the success of family gatherings at the holidays is the practice of building and nurturing your relationships throughout the year. Then, when you come together at the holidays or at any family gathering, you will have built rapport and closeness which then makes it more enjoyable and easy to be with loved ones." - dorothy ratusny
What would a healthier relationship look like? What are some simple steps that would improve your relationships? How would having better relationships with family members feel?
Here are a few helpful reminders as you navigate the relationships that are important to you, and how to improve connections, gain a deeper appreciation of a loved one, and to cultivate closeness and a positive and loving relationship:
1. Practice building and nurturing your relationships throughout the year so that it will be more enjoyable when you gather for festive occasions. Far in advance of the holidays and as a practice for how you live life fully, plan to keep in touch with loved ones, to make an effort to see people that are important family members, and to address disagreements or conflict so that you can resolve what hurts you (and others) are feeling.
This is an important practice that often gets lost in the busyness of our life and yet, we gain so much from making a conscious decision to invest more in our family relationships.
I've seen firsthand how the ongoing effort to reconnect and build closer relationships leads to much healing of past situations, and an opportunity to feel closeness and comfort in being together, so that you can all enjoy this improved relationship at the holidays, and ongoing.
At the very least, prior to gathering with family and other loved ones, if there is an unresolved hurt that may take some time and effort to resolve, a phone call or loving note to your loved one, explaining your desire to overcome past hurts; will go a long way to feeling the love and making a otherwise uncomfortable situation, far more comfortable.
2. If you are not interesting in the work of building a better relationship with a family member; perhaps because you have tried and this has been one-sided; and you recognize the limitations that exist, do your best to remain neutral; to be in the moment as you are together, rather than to focus on what hurts or bad behaviours have happened in the past. You may give yourself permission to not have a relationship with every person of your extended family.
If your time with this person is limited to gatherings once a year (if that); and if you have made peace with the fact that the person is how they are; that you are not responsible for changing them; then it is important for you to offer peace in your time with them; and not to use this setting to rehash the past or aim to change them.
Practice gratitude for your ability to put in place healthy boundaries and choose instead to offer kindness and peace here in this moment.
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