Blog: The Nature of Being Organized
Living The Holidays FromThe Inside Out
HAVE A STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY!!! These words are everywhere from magazine covers to workshops. We are constantly being reminded to slow down and enjoy the holidays. So why do so may of us continue to experience stress and tension during this time of the year? Is it because we think we have to fit it all in? Need to outdo the neighbors? Feel a sense of duty or obligation? Want to please others? Don't manage our time well? I don't think we want stress, but we do tend to create it. However, the good news is that if we create it, we can uncreate it.
For the past nine years, over a two day period at Christmas, I travel over four hundred miles hopping from one house to another. Most years it's fun. This year I'm staying home and family will come to me. That decision lifted a huge weight off me. And I'm not stopping there. I'm making a commitment to buy more services for the special people on my list, give gifts that support the world or donate money to charity. I'm buying gifts that are consumable or have instant homes once they're unwrapped. My shopping list is cut in half, I'm not baking as much, and I'm only doing what I have the time and energy to do. It already feels great!
The holiday season is dedicated to giving and receiving not to guilt and frustration. This year I'm living from the "inside out" and giving to myself first by focusing on my mental and emotional well-being. When I am joyful, I give the gift of joy. When I am happy, I give the gift of happiness. When I am peaceful I give the gift of peace. The people in my life deserve that. And it will be returned tenfold. It's a powerful cycle.
There is magic in this season, but it isn't in the stuff. It's on the inside. Our true essence is joy. We can't experience it bogged down by the weight of obligation, expectation, or guilt. Each year I have been able to take steps to let go of the expectations of our consumer-driven society and each year I feel lighter and more joyous when the holidays arrive. Stress or happiness, it's our call.
posted on: 11/29/2007 12:00:00 PM by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side
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The Nature of Being Organized
by Maggie McCauley
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About Maggie:
Maggie McCauley, ACC, LICSW, The Effortless Organizing Coach, is the president of "A New View". She takes a holistic approach to organizing coaching her clients to create new habits that promote overall well-being, a sense of freedom and peace of mind.
Maggie's Website:
www.anewviewforyou.com
Maggie's Products:
My Favorite Books
- The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
- It's Hard To Make A Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys by Marilyn Paul
- Organize With Confidence by Elizabeth Hagen
- The Secret Of Letting Go by Guy Finley
- Life Is Short--Wear Your Party Pants by Loretta La Roche
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- The Seven Whispers by Christina Baldwin
- Loving What Is by Byron Katie
- Making A Change For Good by Cheri Huber
- "Happiness Now!" by Robert Holden, PhD.
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