Contributed by Stephanie Staples at Your Life Unlimited
What is the best Christmas present in the world? A broken drum, you just can’t beat it!
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It’s the holidays – what are you doing using your valuable time reading this??!!!!
Hurry, rush, decorate, shop, buy, bake, repeat. Oh, don’t forget to stress!
Or not – maybe we could stress less, maybe we could do less? Buy less. Worry less. Argue less. Judge less. Hmmm. I wonder what that would look like?
I tossed a question out to my Facebook friends (you and I are friends there right, if not, please add me) whether to say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas – the answer that permeated most responses was ‘intent’ – if the intent is love, kindness & caring, it’s all good.
So in this season of what could be madness, mania and mayhem I’d like to share with you a couple of stories that warmed, touched and inspired my heart – I hope they do the same for you…
First, Joanne, who was spotted in our little town of Sidney with her grocery cart overflowing. O-ver-flow-ing. This would not be a normal shop for this slight senior, but then we found out the reason for her overstuffed cart. Every December she quietly and without fanfare, buys $500 worth of healthy foods and drops them off at the local food bank. She said she grew up in the foster care system and had plain, mushy, macaroni night after night because the families she stayed with couldn’t afford better food, she always said as soon as she could help someone else, she would. And every year this is what she does!
Across the country, I hear this story…
‘My mom has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments stage 4 lung cancer. As I approached the machine in the front lobby where you pay for parking, a gentleman was standing by the machine. He informed me that I wouldn’t be paying for parking that day. At first I thought maybe the machine wasn’t working but then he took my parking ticket, inserted it into the machine, took money from his pocket, and paid the $10 fee. As he did so, he explained that he and a friend collect money this time of year, then come to the cancer centre and pay for others’ parking in an attempt to help ease the financial burden of others during the Christmas season. When I thanked him and told him he had brought tears to my eyes, he said his intent wasn’t tears but a smile on my face. There are definitely angels among us.’
These are glorious examples of the intent of the holidays.
Whether you do something that requires you to be generous with your money, your time or your resources, I’m guessing your intent (in this season or any other) is to help make our world a wee bit better a place.
Think about what your intention is for yourself, your family, your friends, your colleagues – and if the essence of it is to create joy, happiness or the like, think about how doing less might just serve you more. Even just taking one thing off your holiday platter may help ease the feeling of overwhelm.
It’s not the date but the state you are in that matters. Make your state a great one!
Lead with intention and act according, it’s just one more way to live Your Life, Unlimited!
Merry Everything & Happy Always, Steph
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Clients say…
“Powerful.” Lorraine Totteh, Progam Manager, SCO Family of Services New York
“Steph presents inspirational information delivered in an entertaining, fun and grateful environment.” Christianne Mayo, Bellamy Orthodontics Instructor
* Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), conferred by the National Speakers Association is the speaking profession’s international measure of professional platform proficiency. Less than 10 percent of speakers have earned this credential and are recognized as some of the best in their fields. Stephanie was one of only five professional speakers in Canada (and the only woman) to attain this designation in 2013.
The post Do less, have more… first appeared on Your Life Unlimited.
