Embrace Christmas Spirit Every Day

Although the Christmas-preparations can put us under stress, it still seems that during the few weeks before and around Christmas we are more caring and loving. We are much more of a family person all of a sudden, we think about world peace, we have more compassion, patience with others and start overflowing with altruism.

The holiday season often reminds of all that we have to be thankful for: our friends, family, and the collective joy many of us experience at this time of year. If we could keep that attitude in our hearts and hold it with us all year long, we could actually perpetuate some of the Christmas wonder on a daily basis. Perhaps the key is to focus on what we have, what we have been blessed with and not fixate on what we wish we had. 
  
We take more time for reflection, which leads us to think more of others who are less fortunate than us, and we give a little to charities. We go and buy presents for family and friends and therewith again we naturally spend more thoughts on others. All this gives us the feeling to do something good for other people. This in return makes us feel better, again.

 

This season is a scramble of parties, gifts, and festivities, driving to see family, coordinating events – what time is the church play? When is the band concert? Was I supposed to bring cupcakes to school?

But what if there was a way to preserve the spirit of good cheer and joy and celebrate throughout the year without having to keep up the crazy, overloaded schedule?

That sounds crazy, but maybe there is something you can do to keep the season alive in your heart year-round. Just try the following to keep up the Christmas spirit all year through:

1) Smile at people as often as you can and most people will smile back. 
2) Every day, do something small for somebody else. 
3) Show gratitude. Thinking, saying and writing gratitude helps us to be in the present moment and to focus on all the positive things in our lives, to concentrate on everything we have and our strengths.

4) Give your time. Give your experience! Your time is precious, and many nonprofits need volunteers. Plus, you’ll enjoy knowing you’ve made someone else’s day better.

Fortunately for us, the hectic schedule of the holiday season only lasts a little while, but the best parts of the holiday can last all year long.

This time of year is meant to remind us of how we should live our lives every day. The season is a celebration of values that are too important to be celebrated for only one or two months.

In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge says, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Merry Christmas to all A Lean Journey Fans! I hope everyone takes the time to spend quality time with your family and enjoy all the things you have to be thankful for. Lean thinking is a gift to us individually and to organizations empowering and inspiring improvement all around us. This holiday season I want to take the opportunity to thank all those who share the passion for continuous improvement and share in the learning on this blog.