NCC Blog
Making the Most of the Holidaze
What are the holidays really about? Well, they’re really about high performance, going for your life, not compromising, and not settling. Yes, really!
The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of survival, harvest, and friendship. This celebration only happened because a handful of English Puritans made a huge commitment to change. They found the life and conditions in England unacceptable, so they sailed 66 days across the Atlantic on a less-than-fully-equipped ship in extremely harsh conditions, without knowing if they would actually succeed. They did make make it, but nearly starved and froze to death after they arrived in America. If it were not for the Native Americans, the Pilgrims would probably have perished. These first colonists were committed to going for their life. They were willing to risk their lives and navigate the unknown to make a better life for themselves.
And what about the Maccabees? Although a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish tradition, Hanukah is fundamentally about how the Maccabee Jews were unwilling to tolerate the Greeks’ taking over one of their temples. The war lasted three years before the Maccabees were finally able to gain control of that temple.
And finally, Jesus. Talk about a man on a mission. In all that he did, he left us with a few simple ideas to which he was completely committed. He delivered his most famous sermon on a mountain, and in it, he taught: love your enemies; do not judge others; trust God; don’t be anxious about tomorrow; do unto others as you would have them do unto you (the “golden rule”).
Pretty simple stuff. And yet…
How are you doing with not judging others and not being anxious about the future?
How often do you take a chance and make a change when things in your life are unacceptable? What are you tolerating? How long have you been tolerating it?
What are you willing to fight for? Are you fighting for your right to a fantastic life?
We tend to use the holidays as an excuse to avoid looking at our lives. But they’re really a time to honor the people and the ideas that these celebrations commemorate. Does it honor them to use this time and the craziness of the holidaze to avoid living life, to say “I’ll get on that next year,” to sacrifice your personal development to meet holiday expectations?
These days are meant to be a time of honoring great human beings—including you. Honor yourself, go for your life, don’t settle, and live in the moment—this is the true spirit of the holidays. Live it.
Mattison Grey M.Ed. IAC-CC is the founder and president of Greystone Guides. Since 1997 she has been a professional business and leadership coach, coaching consultant, sales trainer and speaker. In 2004 Mattison founded Coaching Tools for Leaders, a peer coaching curriculum for business leaders and entrepreneurs. In 2005 Grey stone Guides began collaboration with the University of Houston to deliver the Coaching Tools for Leaders Curriculum in Houston Texas. Currently, Mattison serves as Associated facility and lead instructor for the UH ECI. She also maintains a one-on-one and group coaching practice, leads live seminars on sales and marketing, coaching and speaks frequently to groups about the emergence of people.
Mattison Grey M.Ed. IAC-C
Professional Business and Executive Coach
Mattison@greystoneguides.com
http://www.greystoneguides.com
713 296 9245
Copyright Mattison Grey All Rights Reserved
I didn’t read this until the end of January, but it inspired me all over again ~ thanks!
Thanks Julia!