What do you want for Christmas?

With Christmas fast approaching, your nearest and dearest have probably been asking: “What do you want for Christmas?” It’s a very good question. Especially when you think of it in terms of how you want your Christmas to be. 

Is Christmas starting to feel like a chore?

At this time of year, it’s so easy to get into a state of frenzied panic as the number of shopping days to Christmas are counted down. The more you have to do, the faster you run. The ‘To Do’ list seems to get longer and the time in which to get everything done rapidly diminishes.

And, all of that is on top of the day job and managing your other responsibilities.

By this stage, Christmas can start to feel like a chore. Something you just ‘have to’ get through. Which can leave you feeling exhausted.

And, then, you are robbed of all of the magic that is on offer at this time of year.

The good news

The good news is that there is a different way.

Which is to choose a more expansive purpose. 

We always have a purpose in whatever we do. However, much of the time, we’re not aware of what it is. And, unconscious purposes are often limited and based on demands about what we ‘have to’ do and how we ‘have to’ be in order to avoid our worst fears coming to pass. ’I won’t get everything done', 'I’ll be judged unfavourably', 'I’ll let everyone down’… 

When fear is in the driving seat, the result is stress and anxiety. We diminish our effectiveness, limit our resourcefulness, make poorer decisions and deplete our energy. So, when that way of thinking is going on, it's no wonder that all we want to do by the time Christmas arrives is to collapse on the sofa and self-medicate with alcohol, chocolate and TV!

Choose the gift of a bigger purpose

So, this Christmas, give yourself the gift of a bigger purpose. 

Choose consciously how you want to be and let that inform what you do and how you do it. And, to strengthen your motivation to follow through on those choices, get in touch with all the positive reasons why those choices matter to you.

My choice this Christmas is to stay calm and trust that it will all get done (it always does!), to tackle one task at a time and to take the time to appreciate all the gifts on offer at this time of year. And, some of the reasons why these choices matter to me are because I want to delight in  the sights and sounds of Christmas and to connect and make the most of this precious time with my loved ones.

Right now, this means pausing every now and again to look up from my screen and appreciate the view from the window - an array of Christmas lights stretching out along the road and, in the distance, the snow-capped Cotswold hills.

So, this Christmas, what do you want your purpose to be? And, whatever you choose, I hope that it will bring you a very Happy Christmas. Enjoy!