A New Year Brings New Opportunities

A New Year brings a time of reflection and also a vision of hope. When you review your past successes and errors it can help you determine how to move forward and create the life you envision for yourself. The possibilities are endless as long as you believe in yourself and are motivated to make the necessary changes needed.

Create the possibilities

Studies are reporting that it takes 30 days of consistency to change behavioral patterns. This is a difficult, time consuming process for some individuals. Novelist Arnold Bennett states “Any change, even change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” So if you find change difficult to handle, you are not alone. Change is the only constant that we have in life so it is better to learn how to use it to your advantage.

First30Days is an organization that has outlined several principles to overcome the obstacles of change. First, change your point of view. A positive outlook can motivate you to view the situation from different perspectives. Recognize that you are stronger than you think and that something good will usually evolve from those challenges associated with change. Accept the process of change, as resistance is usually wasted energy. Remember, that negative thoughts will hinder your progress and you are the only one that can control what you think and feel.

New Year....new opportunities

Life is a gift that we may cherish or waste. If you are unhappy with your present situation take the steps to change it. You only have control of yourself. Do not wait for your spouse, boss, children or family to change. It will never happen unless they decide to make the changes themselves. What you need to realize is that your happiness lies within yourself, not upon others. Create the life you want and the joy will follow.

Eating Healthy over the Holidays

Experts report that the majority of us will gain one to five pounds over the holiday season. This may not seem like a lot but as we continually add pounds it can accumulate over time. During the winter holidays we tend to indulge by eating our favorite foods while sitting around doing nothing to burn the calories. Many of us will justify the extra calories by promising ourselves that we will lose the extra pounds as a New Year resolution. That seems to give us permission to eat everything and anything in sight. Children have a greater challenge than adults with holiday eating as they have less impulse control when faced with tempting sweets. They don’t monitor appropriate portion size or which items might be healthy.

Healthy choices

Many of us try to determine how to have a healthier holiday without depriving ourselves of those Christmas cookies and fudge. Dieticians tell us to plan, plan, plan. Try making healthy options to take and have available at gatherings like string cheese or a fruit salad to nibble on. Give your children a healthy snack before leaving for the festivities so they won’t over indulge with sweets. If your family has a tradition of making holiday cookies, continue to make them but give some away so they are not a constant temptation for everyone.

During the holiday don’t deprive yourself of those specials treats, just monitor your portion size. Try to eat balanced meals and avoid the sweet carbohydrates when possible. Fight the temptation to hibernate and stay active. When we are active and busy we don’t have time to rummage in the cupboards.

Santa on a Budget

Playing Santa without a budget can destroy your finances for many months after the Christmas season becomes a fond memory. Many parents will struggle between wanting to make the holiday “magical” but realize the bills for January will still arrive on time. After all gifts from Santa are free and from the North Pole. What is there to worry about?

Family values

As the holiday deadlines intensify and the gift list grows longer it is difficult for Santa to find or afford the perfect gift for everyone. A practical way to look at the “wish list” is to determine the real wants and needs from impulsive desires. Some families will limit the number of gifts for each child to three since that is what Jesus Christ received from the three Wise Men. Other families will draw names or make a personal gift for each other. Another option to consider would be for Santa to give one special gift to each child and the family could exchange smaller gifts with each other.

You could start by having each child make a list of the top five gifts they would like to receive. Have them look through catalogs for ideas and discuss if the items are too expensive, too dangerous, or not a part of your family values. If they don’t meet your criteria, you can remove them from the list. You don’t have to turn into a Grinch but limit gifts to the affordable items that the family has shown they truly desire.

Move beyond money

Don’t feel obliged to buy your children everything that they want. Discuss the guidelines and give them opportunities to earn the item that Santa can’t bring so they can develop personal responsibility. Also the Christmas season can give you opportunities to teach your children the joy of giving to others. You could help them to buy a gift with their own money for a family living in a shelter or daycare of a charitable organization. They could visit elderly neighbors to assist with any chores that are difficult for them to do. The family could clean out their closets and donate gently used clothing that is too small and would be a blessing to someone in need. The measurement of a gift is not the dollar amount but the love that was given with it.

Holiday Gifts:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect. –Oren Arnold

And.....Merry Christmas to all!