This is a sort of Christmas message, so first and foremost, thanks for reading, especially those that do actually read this blog fairly regularly. I hope what I have and continue to post is at least interesting and potentially food for thought. Have a great Festive Period and enjoy the time I hope you have off.
What’s the relevance of the title and Christmas? Well in some ways I hope it’s somewhat easy to appreciate. Christmas seems to increasingly be a time when we’re all told by a host of commercial entities that we “need” a great deal of stuff. We seem to be travelling away from the notion of what it is to want something. It would appear that Christmas has become a time to sell people a great deal of unnecessary luxury items.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving thoughtful gifts, but that doesn’t equate to their cost (monetary), the volume or the latest fads. To be fair, I’m aiming this at the Christmas period, but actually, it could well be any time we’re led to believe we’re supposed to shower someone with expensive gifts. We’re conditioned to think that this is the only way to show someone you really care about them. But trust me, it’s not.
At this point I’m going to do a little related meander into another favourite topic of mine. Time. Time is without doubt the most precious gift you can give someone. Please feel free to ponder this for a while. To give you a few pointers on your thoughts –
Time can’t be bought (as in more of it). Time can’t be retrieved. Time can be wasted. Time can be mis-spent.
If you give your time to someone else, you are giving your most precious gift. You’re saying, of all the precious minutes I get on the Earth I’m choosing to spend these ones on/with you.
Therefore, this Christmas, and for the rest of life in general, think about what you’re doing with your time and who you’re spending it on/with. We all need time to ourselves, so make sure you factor that in. Make sure you spend that time on things you want to (covered in an earlier blog). The time for others though, that’s the gift you get to give. Make sure that when you spend it, the other person knows and feels how wonderful it is for this time to be bestowed. Also, appreciate the time the other/s are bestowing on you.
Personally, my favourite aspect of the Christmas period is spending time with those I love, friends and family. It, to me, is so utterly engaging and fulfilling. Sure some presents are nice, especially the thoughtful ones, but it’s the time I get to spend with those I care about that is so precious to me. I encourage you to be as present as you can when you’re with people. If for some reason it doesn’t feel good to be spending your time with those you’re with, ask yourself why. Then make changes, spend your time with those that you feel warrant your time, you’re not going to get it back.
I hope this post has hit the right tone, I’m aiming to inspire everyone to spend their time with thought and consideration. To maximise the reward from spending time. Also, perhaps think about what you’re asking for on your Christmas list and those around you. See if you really need what you want. If not, perhaps the money could go towards a shared experience all those you love can spend time together doing.
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I look forward to speaking to you again in 2018…
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