Whenever we set out to write one of these newsletters
we take the task of giving you something valuable very
seriously. In the three or four minutes it takes you to read
this message there needs to be something that speaks to you
right now and give s you some ideas or solutions that are
going to support you in the month to come. If not, what 's the
point of reading it?
With that in mind, the message that I'd like to share with
you is a very simple one. Perhaps you've heard me speak of it
before but it is simply this. We are managers of energy. We
create e it, we store it and we expend it. It seems that there
are few times in the year where our energies are called upon
as frequently as the holiday season. It may be a busy time at
work. It is definitely a busy time with family. And perhaps
for many families the holidays get more elaborate e and
complex each year. It seems as though we just have to buy into
the frantic pace because that's just the way it is. Women seem
to be affected by it more than men, but men often need to
address it as well.
My suggestion to you is this: we get to choose. For many
who have to work so hard to create this special time to the
point where they drain their energy or are vulnerable to
illness or have little patience when the family is all around
a view that might help is that when it comes down to it our
families really deserve the best of us as opposed to the best
image we present. Hopefully for you the holidays will be a
time of peace, calmness and quiet; a time to reacquaint
ourselves wit h those we love and even take time to reacquaint
yourself with you. My challenge as your coach is for you to
take time having fun, relaxing, and re-creating. In other
words, recharge your batteries. Do things that give you energy
like sleeping, eating healthfully, reading things that inspire
you and spending time with people who give you energy rather
than take it constantly. And I also challenge you, before you
get back into the mad rush and old habit s of the New Year, to
take some time to dream and plan what's possible for this next
year and the rest of your life.
This dreaming and planning stage can save you a lot of
energy in the New Year if you end up with goals and plans to
focus your energy on. In all my years in the hospitality
industry, in restaurants, hotels and clubs, December was
always so busy and draining. It ended with the busiest night
of the year, New Year's Eve. The longest one I remember was a
day that started at 10:00 AM on New Year's Eve and ended at
6:00 PM on New Year's Day. In 20 years of working New Year's
Eve I vowed that if I ever had a New Year's Eve off the last
thing I would do is go to a New Year's Eve party. This year
will be the fifth year of a new tradition. Rose and I say
goodbye to our young adult children as they go off to their
parties, we have a special dinner, watch a movie and are
typically in bed by well before midnight. On January first,
with clear heads and lots of energy we set goals for the year
and for our lives.
In the past I have challenged some of my clients with a
tool during the holiday season to help them prepare for the
next year. This year I would like to offer each of you this
gift as well. It's a tool that will help you plan 2005 and
beyond. Click
here to be taken to a page of our website where you can
open and download your copy of this year end assessment called
New Year's Resolutions.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and
wealthy 2005.
