Having More this Holiday Season
At Winsight Coaching my focus is on supporting my clients to have more…more success, more time, more purpose, more joy…more of whatever they need more of.
Having more, however, is not the same as having it all. In today’s environment, women and men, are bombarded with messages in the media about having it all, what it means to us if we don’t have it all and how to get after it. Living up to that standard can often place us on a never ending treadmill with an ever increasing incline. It’s exhausting!
It also doesn’t mean being perfect or some idealized version of who we think we should be. Now don’t get me wrong – I love watching Martha Stewart decorate a home for the holidays with the perfect tree and garlands hung over the mantle, but I’ve long since accepted that it’s best for me to admire her level of perfection from the comfort of my couch and not from the top of my step ladder.
This month before the rush of the holidays is completely upon us, take a few minutes with your work team and families to come up with a list of what you can do to have more this holiday season by answering three simple questions:
“What are you going to start doing?”
For me personally, I am going to make peace with winter. I don’t like winter - the snow…the cold…the snow! I spend a lot of energy talking about what I don’t like about winter, avoid being outside in the cold, and reading seed catalogs! The truth is there is nothing I can do about it short of moving to a warmer climate. Therefore, I am going to start learning how to appreciate it and I’m counting on my dog, Abby, who thinks snow is the best thing in the world, to help me. Who knows, maybe I’ll even learn to enjoy it.
With work I am going to start moving things from my To Do List to my Not To Do List. The Not To Do List offers us a revolutionary approach to having more. The process is simple. First, create your To Do List. Second, identify the items on the list that you enjoy doing or are passionate about. Third, transfer anything left to the Not To Do List. Now start ticking off the Not To Do List one by one through delegation, out-sourcing, or simply eliminating. For instance, I am not strong in analytics so I outsourced my bookkeeping and accounting processes to some trusted advisors. I also don’t like to file so I’ve developed a process to keep all my files electronic. My goal is to actually be hard copy free by the end of next year.
“What are you going to stop doing?”
For instance, this year we are going to limit the holiday decorations to just the main living room of our home. This is where we do most of our entertaining during the holidays and it will limit the time needed to clean up after the New Year arrives; allowing us more time to spend with family and friends.
From a work standpoint, you could agree not to exchange gifts this year or to limit the value. This frees up time to focus on being with each other, sharing stories, and alleviating the stress of trying to find that prefect gift for the boss who already has everything.
“What are you going to continue to do?”
For us, this is easy. We have two primary areas that we donate our time and efforts to. The first is the no-kill animal shelter in our area and the second is making no-sew fleece blankets for people living with cancer. These two activities give us a sense of purpose and great joy knowing that we are having a positive impact on others.
I find that most organizations also have groups that they support during this holiday season. Talk with your team about how you can continue to support these groups in perhaps a fresh new way. For instance, many groups start to experience shortages in the summer months. You may want to discuss how your team could continue to support your causes during other times of the year. Again, the goal is to minimize the impact on people’s time and resources during an already hectic time of the year.
Join the Conversation
How can you have more this holiday season by doing less?
