Dec 7, 20204 min read

It’s the Holiday Season. Focus on Your Purpose, Be Grateful, and Spread Love.

Updated: Dec 9, 2020

The 2020 holiday season is upon us. This realization may give you a mix of feelings of relief, stress, and disappointment. And that’s okay.

This year has been difficult. The pandemic, racial unrest, and election of 2020 have created a lot of stress and anxiety.

Many people are looking forward to the holiday season. They want a chance to finally celebrate. Others are disappointed because they know festivities are limited. It's the first time I didn't travel to my hometown for Thanksgiving. It’s normal for anyone to feel sad and not be in the mood for the holidays.

It’s important you focus on your purpose this holiday season.

My last blog talked about finding your purpose and creating a purpose statement to reflect on each day. As the year comes to a close, it’s important you continue this practice.

Reflecting on your purpose gives you the energy to practice gratitude, spread love, and be a light to others. Don’t let 2020 take away your power to spread positivity.

Stress has grown in America during 2020.

This should come as no surprise. Eight in ten Americans have said the pandemic created more stress in their lives. Three in five said all the issues of this year have been overwhelming.¹

Combine holiday stress with what everyone is facing right now, and it’s easy to feel an overload of emotions.

In what ways can you look past the stress and walk forward in your purposeful journey?

Focus on practicing gratitude in your daily routine.

To make it easier to live out your purpose statement, it’s important to stay positive. One way to do this is to practice gratitude.

Take time each morning or evening to reflect on the good things in your life. Create a gratitude journal and write down three things you’re thankful for on a daily basis. Tell the people you care about how much they mean to you.

Practicing gratitude has many benefits.

Studies show that focusing on what you’re grateful for reduces depression. It takes your focus off of negative thoughts and emotions, taking away their power. The act of reflecting on what you’re grateful for might even have a long-term positive effect on your brain.2

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward.

I want to encourage you to take the opportunity to practice gratitude in your life. Maybe consider incorporating a sentence about gratefulness into your purpose statement. Express your gratitude openly with others to spread more positivity. See if it helps!

Remember to always spread kindness.

Take a breath. Remember, this mindful work isn’t easy. It’s okay to give yourself a break now and then to be real with yourself. But at the end of the day, remember to choose kindness over hate.

Practice kindness in small ways. Don’t feel pressured to take big steps — like donating to a charity — just yet. Begin with something small, like spreading joy through a smile.

Smiling has health benefits!

The simple act of smiling releases neuropeptides which help reduce stress. Studies say smiling may even boost your mood.3 Isn’t that amazing?

Remember to smile more often. This small act is beneficial to you, and it also helps relieve stress for those around you. When you smile at someone, the reward center of their brain activates. This boosts their mood too.

Smiling in a world of masks may feel silly, but I want to encourage you to keep smiling. This will boost your happiness and — trust me — people can detect your smile through your eyes.

Limit distractions by staying focused on your goals.

A purpose statement is important because it’s a daily reminder of your goals. It helps keep you on track during the distraction of the holidays.

As you enter this whirlwind season and deal with the stress of isolation, family, or festivities, keep your purpose in mind. Stick to your goals.

But I know this isn’t always easy.

I know sticking to a goal sometimes feels impossible. Notice how I didn’t say it is impossible. Tony Robbins says success is “80% psychology and 20% mechanics.”4 Your mindset determines whether you succeed or not.

Don’t give your lack of motivation power. Reflect on your purpose statement and goals.

Remind Yourself What You’re Trying to Achieve.

Remember why you created your purpose statement. Stay on track. Don’t allow the stress of the holiday season to move you from the achievements you’ve already made.

Find ways to incorporate holiday events into your goals:

How can you show up for others while staying true to yourself?
Are you able to encourage others to create a purpose statement?
Is there someone who can encourage you?

Practice being present.

Dwelling on the past and the future only makes it more difficult to focus on the now.

“Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply. “ - Thich Nhat Hanh.

Every time you become overwhelmed, pause, and focus on what you can do right now. This small move helps reduce your level of stress.

Remember to spread love.

The most positive thing you can give others right now is love. Don’t get tied up in the conflicts and division of the past year. Use your purpose to make others feel included and appreciated.

Author and Songwriter Charlotte Eriksson said about this: “Love is not leaning on each other, adjusting to fit a different size. Love is simply two hands reached out in the darkness, saying; I’ll be your light, if you’ll be mine.”

I’m currently offering my Purpose Clarity program to coach you as we enter this season.

It’s been a difficult year, but it doesn’t have to end that way. My program is for anyone searching to live with more purpose.

As a life coach, my hope is to help you find fulfillment, achieve goals, and grow in love.

Be a light this holiday season by focusing on your purpose. Practice gratitude and share love with others.

Stay positive. Embrace what is good. We’ll get through this together.

Check out the program that changed my life!

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