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Letter From The Editor

Each year as the holidays roll around, I always find that there is this jumble of excitement and dread in the people I talk to each day, and this year seems a bit heavy on the side of dread. For some the economy is getting them down. For others the pressures at work or within the family have them dreading the end of the year, and for others it is their own uncertainty about what they want in their lives that have them feeling unsettled.

If the impending holidays have you feeling somewhere between happy and downright terrified, what can you do to get back to having a childlike enthusiasm for the holiday season?

First, think like a child! Kids are all about the fun of the holiday season. They focus on who’s going to get to pull on the wishbone from the turkey or how much whipped cream they can pile on top of the pumpkin pie, or playing games with their family and simply having loads of fun. Get present to what you love about the holiday season and embrace it!

Second, always be looking for the gold in each and every circumstance. Unfortunately, getting back to a childlike way of being doesn’t mean you can turn off your adult responsibilities. However, when you take on the holidays from a perspective of passion and fun, you are much more likely to easily find the gold in absolutely everything you do! Think about it.

• If you have pressure at work, it means you’ve got a job.
• If you are concerned about how the markets are affecting your portfolio, it means you have a portfolio to worry about.
• If your family complains about the amount of time you spend at work, it means you have a family that loves you.

These are huge chunks of gold, and these are just a fraction of the examples I could give. So check it out. Where’s the gold in your life? What and who are you most thankful for?

You see the holidays aren’t about the stuff we have. They are really about the love of family, the joy of sharing, the giving of ourselves to each other, and gratitude for the gold that can be found in each and every one of our lives!

As we begin the holiday season, get and stay present to the gold, search for the gold even when it isn’t obvious, and treasure each and every piece you find. Then acknowledge the gifts you’ve been given. Have everyone sitting around the table on Thanksgiving Day say what they are thankful for. What better way to get everyone present to the gold in their lives?

Warm Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

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Completing 2007 Powerfully

As the end of the year quickly approaches, we’re all aware of our deadlines; the goals we’re on target for, or are falling short of, and the few weeks we have to get it all together. So what I’m going to ask you to do may seem a bit counter productive in terms of time and focus, but hear me out!

Sometime within the next 5 days, sit down in a quiet space with your significant other and write down all of the things each of you have accomplished since January 1, 2007. Write down all of your accomplishments including: personal, business, health, financial, recreation, communication, relationships, and anything else you can think of.

Why should you to take this on at what is often the busiest time of the year? Because it is when we are at our busiest that we tend to beat ourselves up for what we haven’t accomplished, instead of giving ourselves credit for what we have accomplished. By focusing our energy on the good we do and the goals we have achieved, we instantly create a whole new way of thinking. Now which frame of mind do you think will best keep you on track and focused as we draw toward December 31, 2007? You guessed it! The patting yourself on the back, feeling good, and loving life frame of mind!

Do you want to make your list even more valuable? Teach from it! Of course you can keep the list hidden in a drawer for your eyes only, but consider the value you get from sharing it with others. Your kids will get lit up seeing all that has been accomplished as a family. Your team will be energized through the realization that they are a part of a dynamic, go get ‘em kind of a team and you will teach others the value of doing their own “accomplishments” exercise.

So please, carve out some time to take a reflective look on all that you have accomplished this year, and don’t forget to share it with the world! Your list will likely be much longer than you imagined, and the benefit of participating in this exercise will far exceed your expectations!

Family Connections

With the holiday’s coming up, there may be more “connections” being made than you really care to have! But before you get hooked by the thought of making nice with your distant 4th cousin over a turkey dinner, think about this:

We all have relationships with people whom we don’t see or talk to very frequently. However, when we are together it’s like we’ve not missed a beat. There is no awkward silence. There is no wondering “who is this person”. We simply “be” when we are with them.

What is it about those relationships that are different from those we are disconnected from?

• We feel safe.
• We feel no need for pretense.
• We feel no pressure to be someone we are not.
• We communicate fully and completely.

Knowing this, why not recreate this in all of your relationships?

• Make others feel safe and secure.
• Give up worrying about what others are going to think of you.
• Give others room to be who they are… and they’ll give you the same.
• Communicate fully and completely… you’ll teach others how to communicate.
• Be patient, and your family will be patient with you.
• Give away to others what you want to get back!

In the end the key to being connected with family and staying that way long after the warm and fuzzy holidays have passed, is being with them in the same way you want them to be with you!

Be careful not to get stuck in believing that somehow our relationships are flawed if they don’t look like the ones on Leave it to Beaver! The perfect family… the connected family… is the family that works together… plays together… and knows that they love each other no matter what… that they will be there for each other no matter what!

Remember: Getting connected doesn’t have to take a lot of time… it doesn’t require money… it only requires that you get committed to having quality relationships with those you love.

Please take the opportunity that the holiday’s bring to connect with your loved ones. Get in the habit of being connected and enjoy the happiness and fun that those relationships bring. Then, when the craziness of 2008 comes barreling along, you’ll have a great foundation to carry you through!

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