In an ideal world, the holidays are easy-breezy: you have incredible quality time with your family and friends, you buy beautifully curated gifts while staying under budget, your home is decorated in a style Joanna Gaines would be proud of, and you enter the new year feeling healthy and refreshed. There is a ton of pressure for things to be picture-perfect. So often, if anything goes off course, we feel like it’s our fault – we could have tried harder, planned better, or been more accommodating. Feeling worn out and overwhelmed seems like it could be avoided if you were just more grateful.
This is your permission slip to create a holiday experience that works for you. Let’s be real – families are complicated, our personal lives are messy, and striving for perfection only makes us feel guilty and less-than. This year, instead of trying to model your life off of a cheesy Netflix Christmas movie, I’m inviting you to work with what you’ve got.
What will this look like? Start by defining your priorities for this time of year. How do you want to feel when you enter into 2020? Focusing on slowing down and getting your health in order will look a lot different than filling your calendar with social events to reinvest in relationships with friends and family. There is no right or wrong when it comes to what you need most – but you do need to set an intention and commit to it.
Next, play to your strengths instead of trying to be someone you’re not. Hate the holiday rush at the mall? Get your shopping done on a slow weekday, or purchase gifts online from the comfort of your couch. Feel overwhelmed when cooking for a crowd? There is zero shame in cobbling a meal together from premade items (just serve the items in your own serving dishes to make it feel fancy!). Need time to recharge your batteries after a long day of socializing? Block time on your calendar for peace, quiet, and snuggling up with one of the aforementioned cheesy Netflix Christmas movies. Lean into what you’re good at and what you love, and let the rest go.
Finally, remember that it’s okay to not have a picture-perfect holiday season. The reminder to not compare your behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel is simple but true. Step away from social media and be present in your current moment. Practice appreciation for what you have and what makes you unique, instead of striving to fit into someone else’s idea of what your life should look like.
On behalf of all of us at Ama La Vida, we wish you a wonderful holiday season. When the thoughts of “I’m not good enough” or “I should be doing more” crop up over the next several weeks, take a deep breath and remember this newsletter. Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. Cheers to you and the life you’re creating that’s completely your own!
This week’s challenge
Sit down and take a look at your calendar. What do the next 5 weeks look like? What do you have planned that will energize you, fill you up, and give you what you need? What might need to be cut or shortened in order to make space for what’s important to you this holiday season? Be kind to your future self and consider what she needs to start 2020 strong.
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We love that you always want more. Here are some of the best resources that crossed our newsfeeds this week:
- In case you missed it: “November 20th was Latina Equal Pay Day, the day that the average Latina worker’s earnings catch up to what white men were paid in 2018.”
- Staying hydrated requires more than just drinking water! This book is all over our social media feeds, and we’re definitely interested in learning more.
- Who else is excited for Shoptalk’s all-female panel at their 2020 conference? As their founder and CEO said, “we think extreme problems require extreme solutions.”
- REI’s #OptOutside campaign is revolutionary – we’re inspired!
- With 2019 budgets wrapping up, many of you have unspent personal development budgets. This is the perfect time to invest in coaching! And if you don’t have personal development budget, Coach Foram gives some great tips for how to ask your leadership to make the investment in you. Quick, do it before it’s too late!