MaXIMIze - The Reason for the Season

There are so many holy days and holidays during this season - Hanukkah (which fell during Thanksgiving this year due to the lunar calendar), Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, to name the ones I know of right off the bat.

This is a time to celebrate the return of the light and the Light, miracles, and those intangible things like love, life, friendship and family. Yet somehow we have translated it into a materialistic time of year. Shopping on Thanksgiving, Black Friday fights over things, really folks?

To date this season I have watched Rudolph, The Christmas Angel, The Christmas Box, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, and The Christmas Child, and they have all had the same message - love for thy fellow man - and redemption.

When I said something about the materialism of Christmas to my daughter, she told me a phrase for giving gifts - not only during the holidays, but for birthdays and other gift-giving occasions as well - that fits. Something I want, something I need, something I'll wear, something I'll read. The want and the need can be experiences rather than things. Time spent together, forgiveness, redemption. Emotional connection rather than material goods.

Now don't get me wrong - I like giving and receiving gifts as much as the next person. However, time spent with family and friends making memories to last through the years is much more valuable to me, especially as I get older and need less things in my life.

So, take the time out from the hurry and scurry, the bustle and worry and really look your loved ones in the eyes, give them hugs, and enjoy their company - they are what really matter in the big scheme of things, not that new gadget or toy or piece of clothing that will be forgotten by the turn of the next season.

Until next time, namaste!

MaXIMIze - More Questions to Consider

Certainly you didn't think the questions posted last week were the be all and end all, did you? Of course not! There are a lot of things to dig into when you are working to discover what matters, what gives your life meaning, and what you need to let go of.

Here are some more questions to ponder in this vein:

How would you describe your perfect job? What would a day in this job look like?

What kind of people would you be working with and/or for?

How would your work benefit you beyond earning a paycheck?

How would your work and you specifically doing your work benefit others?

How would you feel after a good day at work?

These questions just cover one aspect of your life, you know. The other aspects we will explore in 2014 include financial health, relationships, spirituality, physical well being, emotional well being, and your life as a whole. 

The remaining blog posts for 2013 to be on the look out for will deal with how to cope with holiday stress - managing expectations comes to mind, the reason(s) for the season beyond the materiality and consumerism, and a year-end wrap-up of the various topics covered in this blog during 2013.

In January, we will reset - 2012 was focused on letting go. 2013 added becoming. 2014 will add growing, particularly in the areas noted above.

I look forward to continued sharing in this blog - namaste!

MaXIMIze - Questions to Consider When Looking for Your Passion

As promised in last week's blog post, here are some questions to consider when you are finding your passion. Take some time, serious time, to consider these questions as you work through the process of finding your passion - finding what really lights your fire and makes you want to bounce out of bed in the morning full of vim and vigor ready to tackle the world!

Can you tell I'm passionate about helping others? ;)

What makes you happy? What brings a smile to your face, lightens your heart and lightens your steps through life? 

How do people who know you describe you? You'll have to get feedback from those closest to you to answer this one, since we have a tendency not to see certain facets of ourselves the way others do.

What are your core values in life? During a Creative to the Core meeting nearly two years ago now we did an exercise where we each came up with 10 values that are important in our lives. Then we pared that list to five - my five were: trust; freedom; respect; honesty; and passion. Then we pared those down to three - mine were: trust; freedom; and passion. Then we pared those down to one - the most important value/principle in life to me at that particular time was trust. That doesn't mean the others I listed weren't important - they very much are (as those who know me know). It is just that at that particular time in my life, trust - and having people and things I could trust in - was paramount. Now, freedom and passion are paramount in my life, yet trust remains a constant as well as respect and honesty.

If you need help coming up with values, you can Google them on the internet and make a list of those that call strongly to you.

What things am you good at accomplishing - at work and at home?

What things do you dislike - at work and at home?

What things are in your spheres of control and influence to do something about and what things are beyond my spheres? Definitions from the Web...

Sphere of Control – things over which we have the final say; we determine the outcome. 

Sphere of Influence – issues that we can influence, although we alone do not determine the outcome. 

Sphere of No Control/No Influence – matters that are out of our control or beyond ability to influence. 

What do you really want to be known for? Actually, the answer to this question should align with the values you chose from a previous question - if it doesn't you may want to reconsider what is really important in your life to make that alignment possible.

I think that is more than enough to ponder for now...until next week, keep your light shining through the chaos!

Namaste!