Okay, so this can be so untrue! So many of the adults in our lives just hate the holidays. They are stressed, have bad memories, are away from loved ones, are away from custody-visiting children, or sharing holidays with un-joyful loved ones. Are you one of these adults?

It’s time for a do-over!!!

Holidays are a great time for us to show our kids how to really love and live. So… lets give it a go. Here are some basic questions to keep in mind for those truly Joyful Holidays. Okay, so sometimes the questions are just so much more important than the answers.

Questions to Ponder for Joyful Holidays

    •    How do we show joy and love in the choices we make with our time, energy, and money?
    •    Why not re-do customs?
    •    What’s really important to keep in our family culture?
    •    Do we continue to buy presents?
    •    Do we make them?
    •    Do we create great experiences to share?
    •    Do we cook, go out, get take out?
    •    Do we stay home or go elsewhere near or far?

How we set limits with our time and energy makes a huge difference in how we wake up and present to the world. And, let’s face it, our world is really our kids and we are theirs.

So… go forth and be joyful!
Happy Holidays to all!? Dr. Margarita

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It is in times of uncertainty that we are left to notice the underlying rhythm of our beings. Is this rhythm divine? Is it identity? Is it genetic? Is it corporate? Whatever it is, like it or not, stress reveals our core. We discover the strength of our core values.

My mother used to say that change is the one thing we can always count on. As a child, leaving our lives in Castro’s Cuba, I learned firsthand the power of positive and negative attitude in dealing with challenges. If we are stuck on the “way things should have been” or “the way things were” we are stripped of our ability to see the many opportunities created by uncertainty.

Isn’t it in uncertain times that our heroes have been forged? We are no exception. Especially in these changing political and economic times, stress and uncertainty are quite present and ready to give us a spin.  A friend just sent me a beautiful email. Thanks, Achim! The punch line was an invitation to resist suffering with rain by dancing in it. It’s all in how we handle the present. 

Our response to uncertainty can be stress. It can also be a new awareness and a deepening of our core values. Stressful times serve as impromptu involuntary crash courses in flexibility and values management.  When we are certain of our core values we can handle ambiguity and uncertainty as an invitation to opportunity.  Simple, not easy.

The power of calm, focused individuals and groups affects even those not participating in calming efforts. Conversely, negative energy, paralyzing fear, and a loosening of our core values for the sake of survival have far-reaching effects on us all. Especially in uncertain times, the calm, confident business person emerges as tomorrow’s leader.

Dance anyone?