Keeping the HAPPY in Happy Holidays

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.

~ Earl Nightingale

Many have opinions on saying "Merry Christmas", "Happy Hanukkah" and "Happy Holidays", and that is up to each individual to share and say what is in their heart and on their mind depending on the timing and situation.

It reminds me of being wished "Happy Mother's Day" as a person with only four-legged "children", I say "Thank you", as it still is good to be happy on any day, and what the heck, I'll gladly take the well-wishes on such a special day. It's tough to get me to fight off an upbeat message meant with good cheer!

Anyway, that is not what this tip is about, and it is not a religious take on any of these wonderful comments and wishes, rather this is about how to keep (or bring, if it seems like it hasn't been there) the HAPPY in the holidays and the holiday season.

Please consider the following for your own version of HAPPY holidays:

H - Have awareness of the fact that traditions are simply obligations in disguise if you don't want to do them and that it is okay to change what happens this year

A - Appreciate what is being done around you and who is making time to be with you rather than being annoyed with what hasn't happened or who is not around (and share that appreciation freely and often)

P - Plan time for rest so that your time celebrating is really the best it can be, and so that the experiences are engaging over draining you

P - Prepare yourself for someone or something not acting or responding how you thought they would

Y - Yield to nobody if you really want to do something, as doing something alone can be enjoyable in a new, unexpected way

Instead of holding your breath for something to not go wrong, or getting through a gathering, this keeping the HAPPY in the holidays means you come from gratitude with a positive attitude to be there, and be glad for the opportunities this month!

#ProfessionalDevemopment #PersonalDevelopment #PerformanceCoaching #Kind #OneBeanerPerformanceCoach #LivingKindly #KindnessIsMyOwnSuperpower #Kindness #CoachsCorner #WorkdayWakeUp

Debbie@DebbieLundberg.com 813.494.4438 DebbieLundberg.com

Lessons Learned: Tales from Travels To and Fro!

While travel may never be the same as it was before March of 2020, travel is available, and it has been good to be able to travel personally, and it has been wonderful to get to travel for business!

With masks and mandates, here are some lessons learned:

1) Arrive early, as many more people are traveling domestically than seemed to have been doing so in 2019 and previously, and with many getting TSA Pre-Check, even those lines can be the fullest they've ever been!

2) Consider that most people are uncomfortable in their masks and feel encumbered, so high patience and a high tolerance for others is not mandatory, yet it will likely serve your nerves and experience well. On a similar note, please make sure your mask fits, smells good, and is something you will not be fussing with for hours, as your comfort impacts your mood and your mood affects your communication effectiveness!

3) Earbuds and sound-canceling anything(s) are highly recommended, as some people think having their videos on without their sound being only sent to them is okay, and others feel compelled to be vocal about how unhappy they are in their mask, and still, others simply have to speak more loudly to convey their message through their mask

4) Take food and buy non-alcoholic drinks for the flight, and please skip the heavy garlic and onions, as that take-on food can be very lasting on odor for the rest of us!

Remember, you are getting to travel, and that is progress in perspective/comparison to the recent past, and with that consideration, whatever is happening is temporary, and fortunately, you'll be where you are going (home or elsewhere) soon enough with being little worse for wear, if you embrace these lessons learned while en route!