Christmas 2023 - Monday brings Hope

There is something to be said about timing. I can't think of a better time, or perhaps a more needed time in 2023 for Christmas to fall on a Monday. Let me explain. In my opinion, Mondays have always a been a day of hope, a short term weekly "reset", so to speak. I love that every Monday morning I am filled with an abundance of hope of what may lie ahead in the upcoming days.

Having been in professional sales for what feels like a zillion years now, every Monday morning without fail, I feel hopeful. It is a great feeling. It is a joyous feeling. It's an exciting feeling. "Internal" hope helps set my personal tone for the week rippling out to a positive mindset. Hope is real and it feels transparent.

On Monday mornings I find myself hoping that my TZMO USA, Inc. (SENI) teammates and I will make a big sale during the upcoming days ahead. I hope that we will make a small sale. I hope that we will make a sale period. Even when we have planned our work and worked our plan to the best of our abilities, we still don't know 100% on Monday morning if that sale will come across the finish line. However, we start our Monday work week feeling that it will. We have hope! This is one small example of what I believe to be "unforeseen" hope. It ties very closely with excitement and passion.

And it's not just the hope of a sale that Mondays bring either. It is the hope that my Seni teammates who may be traveling to meetings have good discussions, smooth flights, and few hiccups. My hope for them is that their preset meetings go well for all parties involved and that all is well on their personal home fronts while they are aware. I hope that I hear a life changing story from a customer whereby our products made a huge difference. Will my teammates and I have an awesome engaging conversation internally or externally with someone where we both walk away from the conversation feeling joyful, inspired, and/or that it was time well spent? I hope so.

I hope for simple things like blue skies and mild temperatures. And yes, I for sure hope that my family, friends, and inner circles remain happy & healthy throughout the week.

The word "hope" itself may just be the most powerful, impactful word in our English language. Hope by definition is "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." As we approach Christmas day this coming Monday, think about how many times in the next few days you will hear the word "hope" being used.

"I hope Santa comes Mom" a small child will say with big blue eyes and a wide smile. "I hope Santa brings me the Disney Doorables" another innocent child somewhere in the world will share with their Dad. This type of "hope" is precious hope, joyful hope, and perhaps the best hope to witness first hand.

Some teenagers this Christmas will simply hope for a New Years Eve date with a guy or a girl. "Did he say he will call you?" one 17 year-old teenage girl will ask her closest friend. "Yes", she will respond. "And how exactly did he it say it?", "Like he will call you, or he will just call?", "Or did he say maybe he will call?" This type of teenage chatter will take place somewhere on Christmas day, and without ever using the word "hope" within the word by word deciphering conversation, so much "hope" will be implied. We are dependent on hope and that's a good thing. Hope keeps our souls alive at all ages.

This Christmas will be filled with more serious hope too. Adult children with moms or dads living in senior living communities will hope for a good Christmas day visit with their loved one. Some adult children caring for their moms or dads who have Alzheimer's Disease will simply hope that their loved one recognizes them "one more time" on Christmas day. That will be their Christmas gift, they will tell themselves, in a private conversation with Jesus on his birthday.

As families gather at the dining room table for Christmas dinner, stories of job loss, health concerns, the Ukraine War, the Gaza strip, and/or political conversations will take place. Most of these conversations will be loaded with sentences using the word hope. Regardless of religious beliefs or political sides, most family members will eventually agree that they "hope" for an end to the wars and a better tomorrow. They will share "unique" hope for one another based on personal circumstances.

Fortunately the table subject matter will change to a more lighthearted tone where there will be "everyday" hope that the crescent rolls didn't burn. 13 year old Carson may also hope that "Auntie Sue" remembered to take the walnuts out of the chocolate fudge this year. His sister will hope so too!

With many of us feeling that the world is a bit out of sorts these days, perhaps Christmas being celebrated this coming Monday is a true gift in and of itself. I hope that Christmas 2023 brings "hope" above anything else to all LinkedIn users. We need it! Cheers to a wonderful Christmas for all!