Saturday, December 23, 2006
Hello Friends -
On the eve of the publication of “Getting to Resolution” in 1998 I was speaking to my mother. As I was sharing my excitement about the publication of my first book she told me with an air of seriousness incongruent for her life experience that there were far to many books being published! Fortunately I had the good sense not to be offended and told her she was right, but that her timing was not quite right. In retrospect her message served an important motherly purpose – keeping it real and reminding me that big – headedness is not one of life’s finer qualities. Every time I think about the story, no matter how many times, I chortle sweetly to myself. The principle of word pollution still stands. I often hesitate sharing because we are all so bombarded. A good corolarry is that when others have already said it well share and credit them. For this My best to you for a good holiday measured by your standards. Thanks to all of you I have been privileged to work with this year. Special thanks to the group who went through the “Becoming a Resolutionary” training. The “encore” you asked for is very gratifying. Look for more information about the next group soon. I look forward to 2007 – two things in particular. In January I will head to “An Inconvenient Truth” and the American Management Association’s interest in creating some programs around Resolutionary Thinking. Safe travels and much love to all! Stewart
Stewart Levine, Resolutionary ResolutionWorks@MSN.com (If moved to respond PLEASE use this address) 510-777-1166 From Alan Weiss with gratitude and thanks from my mother! 1. Techniques for Balance During the Holidays and New Year - Rich and fulfilling beat bigger and louder. A walk to see the holiday lights might be more fulfilling than a boisterous party.
- It takes two to argue. Walk away from fights with family. They never help and they always hurt.
- Plan to pick up the check. If someone else grabs it, then you're pleasantly surprised. If no one else challenges you for it, then you expected it all along and you look magnanimous.
- It's just dumb to binge and then hate yourself after the holidays. Eat and drink what's good for you. If you think about it, there is no augmentation to festivities caused by feeling bloated, stuffed, inebriated, or incapacitated.
- Whatever you plan to budget, double it.
- Gifts are exactly that. If you get some that are unhelpful, inedible, unwearable, or unfathomable, then donate them or return them. It's not like you purchased them and the store cheated you.
- Make a plan to call people you want to call because you can't see them. Write it out with dates and times or you won't get to it and you'll feel terrible later. (Or, worse, they'll call you first yet again.)
- Make a donation to a charity. It's the ultimate gift.
- If you need to do a little work, do it, and stop feeling guilty about it. There's a lot of time in the course of a day, just don't do it when you're expected to be helping out or socializing with others.
- Don't make ridiculous commitments you'll never be able to keep. You'll feel terrible later. Make just those which you can immediately and consistently deliver on: a few things, one step at a time. Musings for the Holidays May your Holidays, whatever they are and whatever you celebrate, bring you true peace, at least for the moment. May your loved ones gather to retell and relive significant events and great stories, without reviving old animosities and jealousies. May you eat and imbibe with gusto and pleasure, but stay sober and not gain an ounce. May your plans proceed as intended, and if they are forced to change, may they produce a good laugh and even better results. May you experience and appreciate the twinkle of a star through moonlit haze, the laughing eyes of a child, the great and unqualified love of a pet. May you receive a few gifts of true worth and joy, and provide equal pleasure and gratitude even for those others which you're already scheduling for return. May the night be mild enough to walk outside without a coat, take a deep breath of crisp air, and truly feel enriched and a part of the planet. May those you love and know who are in harm's way be kept safe. May illness be brief and relieved. May you laugh at the fond remembrance left with you by someone departed, their indelible gift to your life. May you look around with comprehension and not merely consciousness. May you appreciate what the moment is like, so that looking back on it someday you have the comfort of knowing you enjoyed it at the time. May you delight in bouncing a ball, petting a dog, preparing a meal, talking sports, seeing a movie. May you truly enjoy watching someone else's slides and they enjoy watching yours. May you watch the sky and understand it is the same sky, same stars, same rich blackness that the ancients watched millennia ago, and that even in this war-torn world our common humanity is centuries old. May your true presents be eternal and not ephemeral, the gifts of love, friendship, health, compelling interests, productive work, and a positive attitude. May you see hope in the darkness, find comfort amidst the noise, and gain wisdom within the tumult. May you choose not to take a desperate leap into the dark, but rather take a thoughtful walk in what light we have. FROM: The Million Dollar Consultant™ Balancing Act Newsletter BALANCING ACT: BLENDING LIFE, WORK, AND RELATIONSHIPS® A free monthly newsletter about balancing life, work, and relationships based on the books and popular workshops conducted by Alan Weiss, Ph.D. http://www.summitconsulting.com.
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Stewart@ResolutionWorks.com | www.ResolutionWorks.com Stewart Levine |
