Give the Gift of Your Presence

Give the Gift of Your Presence

T’is the season to hustle and bustle, or not.   

While the holiday season can certainly be stressful, you have the option to choose your mindset and attitude. 

What if you used this time to reset, restore, reflect, and reconnect?  

Presence is simply the ability to be in the moment without fretting about the past or the future.

Being in the now can help you feel calm, grateful, creative, and joyful. All pretty good stuff to help you enjoy the season. It also happens to be the essential ingredient to attract people to do business with you. 

When you are present with others, you take the time to listen to them, be curious about their reality, and share moments that are important to them. This is the greatest gift. Whether you practice presence with your family, friends, clients, or colleagues, you will build better connections and feel more joy.  

While we are unlikely to be attending large-scale holiday parties this year, there are inevitably more opportunities to connect with people over the holidays: Sending a handwritten Holiday card showing gratitude to an advocate.  Lingering for a moment to converse with another parent at kid pick up. Reaching out to past clients who might be alone at this time of year. Volunteering at a local food bank or shelter. Connecting with colleagues in an unhurried and supportive environment. The list is long.  

If you are already feeling frenetic, the experts have some advice to make the holidays less stressful.  

Here are a few: 

• Being less judgemental and more accepting. 
• Accept imperfection in yourself and others.  
• Focus on what really counts.  
• Exercise kindness. 
• Don’t self-medicate. 
• Make healthy choices.  
• Avoid people who stress you out.  
• Be deliberate about what you say yes to. 
• Rethink your resolutions. 

We will talk about resolutions and a new take on goal setting next week.   

In the meantime, be present and deliberate about what your holiday season will be like.