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Letter From The Editor

Dear Friends,

It is that time of year again when we can choose to be of holiday cheer and complete the year in a powerful and positive way, or we choose to be a bit Scrooge-ish, making others wrong for what isn’t going right in our lives, and being plain ole cranky. Frankly, what I see going on in many people right now is much more of the latter Scrooge-ish way of being, and while I realize that many people are still going through rough times, we do have a choice in how we react to what is going on in and around us.

We can choose to blame others for what is or isn’t being done, or we can choose to quit making others wrong, get off our duffs, participate in the world around us, and stand up for what we believe; we can choose to live from a place of negativity, or we can choose to live from a positive frame of mind; we can choose to feel sorry for what we don’t have, or we can choose to embrace what we do have.

You see, living life in a positive way comes from a place deep inside each of us that says: “I choose to create happiness around me no matter what the circumstance… I choose to live from a “glass half full” way of thinking… I choose to live each day with passion and excitement… I choose to be present to the life I’m living… I choose to be unstoppable…” And what better gift to give yourself this holiday season than to embrace the gold in your life. It isn’t always easy to see, but the gold is there even in the simplest of things.

You may find your gold in the smile you get from a child, a helping hand from a stranger at the grocery store, the satisfaction of knowing you never, ever gave up, a phone call from a friend, a loving hug from your spouse, or a wet, slobbery kiss from your dog! The point is that the things that amount to gold in your life don’t necessarily cost a bunch of money. As a matter of fact, our greatest treasures can’t even be bought!

So this holiday season sit back, count your treasures, and then make sure every single one of them know how much you appreciate them!

Happy holidays to you and yours,

Clay S. Nelson

Acknowledging Your Greatness

Patting ourselves on the back isn’t always the most comfortable thing to do. Our success is expected and getting the job done is what we do! In many ways we assume our greatness, and not like ego. It’s just the way it is. As a matter of fact, we assume it so much that we focus not on the great things we accomplish, but those things that we didn’t do – those things we want to do better and haven’t yet mastered. We beat ourselves up for allowing a difficult sale to walk out the door, the deadline we missed, and the date we had to cancel with our spouse. We want to do things perfectly 100% of the time, and yet we are human. So instead of consuming ourselves with the 20, 15, or 10% of our lives that could be better, why not give yourself a pat on the back for the 80+% that is working well?

Year-end Back Patting Tools

Sometime between now and the New Year, I want you to sit down in a quiet space (with your significant other, if you have one) and write down all of the things you have accomplished since January 1, 2009. Write down all of your accomplishments including: personal, business, health, financial, recreation, communication, relationships, and anything else you can think of.

Why should you take this assignment on at what is often the busiest time of the year? When we are at our busiest we tend to beat ourselves up the most, 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. Standing there, we can then take on what we want to do better in 2010 from a much more powerful state of mind!

Do you want to know how to make your list even more valuable? Teach from it! 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 team, and you will teach others the value of acknowledging their own accomplishments.

So, please, get out your paper and pen, take some time to reflect on all that you, your family, and your team has accomplished this year, write down everything you can think of, and start patting away! You deserve it!!

Generosity of Spirit

“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained by giving them to someone else.”

          —Peyton Conway March

What do you think of when you hear the word “generosity”? You might first remember being a kid. As kids, we were taught by adults to “share” and we often did so resentfully because we were “told to” or were “supposed to”. Instead of being a self-nurturing or fun act, selfish “sharing” probably left you feeling ashamed, cheated or even resentful. Sharing, like generosity, doesn’t exist in the same space as “obligation” does.

Generosity is often seen in giving of time or money but let’s not stop there. How about we include generosity of spirit too! As adults, from time to time, we all act in less than generous ways—cutting people off in traffic or blowing up in frustration when we aren’t making progress with the customer service representative on the other end of the telephone line. Yet, choosing to be generous, instead, can lighten, brighten and enhance your whole day. True generosity comes from the heart, willingly and bountifully, with no expectations for a particular personal reward in mind. Not only that, it’s FUN and it won’t cost anything to give!

You can practice having fun by being generous. Give someone a break. Don’t bad mouth the next person who treats you with disregard or disrespect; generosity of spirit includes being open to another’s goodness instead of looking for what’s wrong.

Do some good, completely anonymously. In fact, plan with others… create a sort of “generosity conspiracy” with your friends or your team. Share helpful ideas and information without being asked. Have an attitude of service to others.

If you have money, spread it around—like fertilizer on a lawn, it will help others grow. It’s not so much about giving a lot, it’s about when you give. It’s about trusting another and investing in them.

And, generosity is not just about being generous with others. It’s about being generous enough with yourself to open up and be contributed to by others…to accept what others have to give you and have wanted to give to you for some time now.

Being generous is just plain smart. It’s always a win-win experience. What are you waiting for?

“Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the best anyway.” — Mother Teresa

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