What do the holidays mean to you?

black friday


Okay Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday is over and Cyber Monday is over.  All the deals are gone and if you didn't get your Christmas shopping done then it's probably on your to do list.  Is the end of November and all of December all about shopping and deals now?  I thought Thanksgiving was about you know... 'giving thanks,' and Christmas (at least for me) was about spending time with loved ones and celebrating the holiday season together.

I admit I do enjoy November because many of my friends partake in the every day in November "I'm thankful for..." post on their Facebook walls.   I also secretly enjoy the hearing about Black Friday craziness that has happened all over the country (ironically happening after Thanksgiving where we all just gave thanks).  I even check out the deals online but rarely ever buy anything.

With all that craziness and even more coming in December it can be hard to 'keep your eye on the prize,' and use what these holidays were meant for in my opinion; removing yourself from the daily stresses of your life and simply being happy and celebrating life.

I have TWO questions for you...


ONE - Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving
Why are you only thankful during November?  Or is it easy to put a 'cap' on the number of thankful posts you are required to do because there are only so many days until Thanksgiving?   Look, I'm not trying to 'knock' anyone who partakes in these posts but why not take it a step further, continue this all year round.

I've learned that in order to create a happier life we must always be giving thanks and praise to the people around us.  If you're not comfortable posting publicly then make sure to contact your friends, family, co-workers, etc every so often and just say thanks!  These actions have actually been proven to help make you a happier less stressful person.

TWO - Shopping and Black Friday
Okay so you've accumulated a bunch of stuff, now what?  Fine if your TV is broken and you want a new one I get it but I think most people just buy stuff to well, just buy stuff.  Is the new TV that's 4 inches bigger making your life any better?  Has waiting outside for hours on end for the latest deals made your life any better?  I can't tell you how often I look around my apartment at 'stuff' that hasn't really added any value to my life.  I mean, I wanted it at the time and now I can't remember why.

Here's my formula for everything I buy now.  I ask myself...
1.  Why am I buying this?
2.  Does this purchase improve my life?
3.  Does this purchase help me achieve my personal goals or dreams?

If I answer 'no' to the last two questions then I rethink why I'm buying whatever it is. This doesn't just work for buying things, it also works for spending you time.  We all complain about not having enough time yet we're constantly wasting it on things that don't matter.  YOUR health, YOUR family and friends, and YOUR dreams matter the most.  Spend your time, money, effort, and love on those items and less on everything else.

Conclusion
I read a quote once that went something like, "on your deathbed you're not gong to have wished you worked more, spent more time on the computer, or watched more TV.  You're going to wish you spent more time with friends and family, tried new things and experienced all that life has to offer."  I'm paraphrasing and adding my own words in but I think you get the point.  Spend your time, money and emotions where it matters the most.

This holiday season I challenge you to step back from the sales, the marketing, the traffic, the lines and all the stresses and think about what really matters the most to you.  Remember to breath when something doesn't go your way and start the New Year off with an entirely new view of the world and what you want to accomplish in it.



P.S. If you liked this post please check out one of my favorite speakers on 'Happiness' Shawn Achor.  He has an amazing TED Talk you can watch which I share with all my friends.  I listen to it about once a month.




Why I hate the holidays...

clean eating

Okay I don't hate the holidays, I just wanted to see if that statement would get you to my page. I may be a huge fan of The Grinch but I do love the holidays.  Sure I've got my complaints like Christmas seems to come before Thanksgiving but whatever greedy people.  One holiday at a time please.  

So here we are again Mr. Thanksgiving.  Is it just me or do these holidays seem to come faster and faster the older I get?   Let's not stay on that topic too long...  :)

Thanksgiving... time to over indulge in delicious treats, large portions and hopefully a perfectly cooked turkey right?  WRONG!  Look, if you fear the holiday season it's probably because you've over indulged the rest of the damn year.  Instead this year I want you to indulge in portion control.  

I'm not talking about more water and veggies here, although you should do that.  I'm talking about remembering what Thanksgiving is truly about; giving thanks for what you have.  Life, love, happiness or whatever you want to give thanks for.  I challenge you to concentrate on those things this Thanksgiving instead of mindlessly hammering back food.  Take a little food off your plate, avoid the turkey comma and instead use that time to play with your grand kids, nieces or nephews.  Or stay awake and re-connect with a family member that maybe you've lost touch with.

Let's be honest you can eat turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy all year long.  Hell for about ten years I was addicted to a frozen dinner that was just that.  It was like Thanksgiving everyday for me.  I doubt if you practice a little self control this Thanksgiving you're going to walk away saying, "I wish I would have ate more so I can feel like crap now instead of being happy and comfortable."  If I'm wrong and you do, pick up that frozen dinner I was talking about  :)

 

Conclusion...
Coming back to my original statement, use this holiday as it was meant for.  Enjoy time with your family and friends or hell give back to others less fortunate.  If you're reading this then I'm guessing you probably have the option of stuffing yourself fat during the holidays.  Many people are less fortunate and are hoping to eat at all on this day.  Give your time, maybe some money and your compassion to them.        
  
Okay Jimmie I'll 'try,' good point Jimmie, or I just don't care Jimmie it's Thanksgiving I'm going to eat.  Fine fine I can't win them all.  Anyways I want to tell you about Beachbody's Ultimate Reset program.  In 21 days and you're looking at a 10 lb weight loss and healthy detox of your system.  Looking forward to hearing from you soon new customer  :) 

If you want to know about me...
I'll be spending this Thanksgiving with some dear friends of mine who 'took me in' 3 years ago since my family is a little far away to fly out to for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Thank you to the Jacobs' for allowing me to share this day with you and your family for the past 3 years.    

Happy almost Thanksgiving Everyone!!!
Love, 

Jimmie
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I thought I'd do something different at the end of this blog.  My writing methodology is typically to jot down a ton of notes, and see if I can make it into something that flows and is relatively coherent later.  What if I shared my 'bloopers' with you and you could see some of the notes and unedited rants that didn't make it into the final blog.  I've never seen anyone do this before so here it is.  Normally this part below would have just been deleted.
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How bout this, use thanksgiving, your one day of the year not to do this, over indulge.  What a crazy idea.

You're just going to stuff your face with delicious crap, pass out and miss that time with family anyway.  

Stop allowing these holidays to be an excuse and take control.  

Look here's how it goes.  You fill up on Thanksgiving then you have about a week until Christmas parties and family gathering start.  Oh wait, you don't have that week yout hought you didn because look at all those delcious left overs, can't let those got ot watse!.  Still you figure you have time but let's be serious you don't have or can't find the time to lose the Thanksgiving weight.

Then Christmas hits which is like a 2 - 3 week event and you're gaining even more.  Well why stop there? I already messed up my routine might as well keep eating.  We stil have left overs and New Years is right around the corner so I'll just start my weight loss journey then.

January hits and you're fired up and ready.  The problem is you have to use all of January to get rid of what you started at the end of November.  Crap.  So now you've been working your ass off all of January like the rest of the country and you're tired and less committed now.  January was hard!  Why was it so hard.  Because you let yourself fall out of routine for an entire month last year! 

Fb and the web are filled with recipes, some good some bad but treat the day for what it was meant for!    Thanksgiving is the ultimate social [word] of other people making others eat.  Break the streak of eating way to much and feeling like crap the next day.  I don't want to drink to much becasue I don't want a hangover, well the day/ hours after thanksgiving are the equivalent to a alcoholic hangover. 

Ok fine there's a bunch of delicious food at the table and you want some of it.  Change portions.  Cram a bunch of veggies in your system filling you up so there's not as much room for bad stuff.

Don't eat as much because you'll have more leftovers. 

Here's a secret... you can have turkey, stuffing, gravy and everything else every single day of the year. 

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