Holidays - Happy Holidays? It?s Up To You

Happy Holidays? It?s Up To You

The Holiday Season. Does time seem to compress, or is it just me? There's so much going on -- the end of autumn, the beginning of winter, and all the holidays that follow. As a child it was an exciting time of year. As an adult, it seems filled with more shopping, baking, parties, and other events than I can squeeze into the available time.

In Aikido, the martial art that I practice and teach, we have something called "randori," an exercise in which the student stands alone on the practice mat and as many as five opponents attack simultaneously. Sometimes the holidays feel like this -- which task, event, or relationship do I take on first?

The first secret of randori is to handle one attack at a time. I can't let myself become overwhelmed by the enormity of what's out there. I must stay fully present with what's right in front of me. It's hard to do, but it saves time, energy, and wear and tear!

Secret #2 is to engage the attack. Though it sounds counterintuitive, welcoming the attack puts me in charge of it. I decide what I want to handle first and move toward it.

Planning a family dinner, finding places to stay for the relatives, shopping for holiday gifts, getting the budget report done on time, AND hiring a new administrative assistant -- each task by itself might be doable, even enjoyable, but taken together they seem overwhelming. How to stay balanced and effective?

In the midst of life's multiple, simultaneous events: Know that each can be an attack or a gift -- it's up to you. Engage one task at a time.Every time you experience the pressure of "How can I possibly do it all?" -- stop and BE where you are, and give your relaxed presence to the task at hand.

Gradually you'll feel in charge of the only things you can be in charge of -- yourself and the present moment.

Happy Holidays!

You're welcome to reprint this story. If you do, please include this reference: Judy Ringer is a conflict and communication skills trainer, black belt in aikido, and sole owner of Power & Presence Training. For ideas and inspiration on conflict, communication, and creating the life you want, visit us online at http://www.JudyRinger.com/

Sonya Rykiel Perfume Shop online for Sonya Rykiel Perfume at low internet prices and fast delivery from perfume | healthboutiques.eu

Dental Insurance | Health Insurance | Home Owner Insurance | Life Insurance Quote

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

2 Inexpensive Halloween Costume Ideas
Did you know that you can make your own Halloween costumes without spending lots of money? You many already have many of the supplies needed to put these together. Here are 2 neat Halloween costumes that you can make yourself:SkeletonAll you need to make a skeleton costume is a black sweat suit or a black turtle neck and pants, a piece of chalk, white fabric paint (preferably glow-in-the dark, or uv reactive), and an image of a skeleton. Find a graphic; something used to create simple children's halloween crafts, or black and white clip art will work well.Lay out the sweat suit, with the skeleton image along side it, for reference. Use the chalk to draw a simple skeleton on the front,...(related: Holidays)

Fun Halloween Party Themes And Ideas
Halloween is the day of the year that has the most parties thrown in its honor. Everyone loves to dress up and attend Halloween parties with their friends. Most people end up getting several invitations to different Halloween parties that are often on the same night. If you are planning to throw your own Halloween party, how can you get all your friends to head to your shindig and not someone else's? You need to come up with some unique and fun ideas that will get everyone on your list so excited about your party they won't even consider going anywhere else.Not Just Any Old ThemeMany people don't bother thinking of a theme for their Halloween party since it seems to be somewhat of a theme already. But rather than just putting up some Happy Halloween banners and fake cobweb...(related: Holidays)

Do It Yourself Gifts
Sometimes gifts that you purchase are not as personalized as you would like. They do not quite seem to fit the idea you had in mind. For these times, the only thing to do is "do it y...(related: Holidays)

Outside The Box Gingerbread Houses
Beyond trees and wreaths, there are few symbols of the holidays so well venerated as the gingerbread house. Throughout the country, gingerbread house displays and contests attract everyone from culinary architects to kids who love to savor the decorations. Visit Historic Inns of Rockland, Maine's Holiday House Tour held every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, where among other ideas, you'll learn first hand from Frank Isganitis, Gingerbread House Architect and LimeRock Inn co-owner, tips on creating your own award-winning gingerbread houses. The Holiday House Tour is...(related: Holidays)

What Is The Easter In Your Business?
Easter 2005 is coming, Sunday March 27, and Christians worldwide are warming up to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, a great sacrifice for humanity.What about you and your business? Is there anything the market can celebrate about any great sacrifice you have made for your employees, customers, partners, colleagues, friends, regulators and other stakeholders? Or are you in business waiting for others to make sacrifices, and then you st...(related: Holidays)

Overcoming Loneliness This Christmas
Christmas is one of those times when the social norm is to get together with our families even if you never see them during the year. For those people who are isolated from their families, or do not have a family, it can be a time of great loneliness and even depression....(related: Holidays)

A Valentines Day Story
Valentine's Day...the day of love right? Many years ago, 22 to be exact, I was a senior in high school. Just prior to Valentine's Day our student council representative got on the intercom during morning announcements and told us about an upcoming fundraiser. Student council was going to sell carnations for an entire week...(related: Holidays)

A Mothers Day Prayer! Mamma Whispered Softly!
Patty Lovelace Country MusicVerse #1Through the back window of a 59 wagonI watched my be...(related: Holidays)

10 Reasons Santas Broke This Year
1. Santa Spends More Than He MakesSanta's paychecks are nothing to sneeze at, but he stays focused on his next raise. (Yes, of course Santa gets a raise each year!) He has no idea what it costs him to live the Santa life. He doesn't track his earnings nor his spending. Santa's got to provide for his reindeer, his horse and his North Pole home - just like the rest of us.2. Santa Has No Emergency Acco...(related: Holidays)

Keepsake Christmas Album
Do you hate throwing your Christmas cards away every year as much as I do? This year I decided to try to come up with some way to preserve our Christmas cards, as well as find a way to organize all the Christmas letters I've been faithfully filing away for the past six years. I decided to make an album for our Christmas letters using decoupage to decorate the covers with this year's Christmas cards.I love decoupage. It's so easy to do and so versatile. It's really hard to get it wrong. I started by finding something to paste the Christmas cards on. I had some dark red card stock (next to the paper at the office supply store) that seemed heavy enough to withstand all the gluing. Next I cut our Christmas cards into all different shapes and sizes. I cut out litt...(related: Holidays)

Ready To Skip This Holiday? Why No Just Make It Your Own?
Do you feel panicked, or exicted? Are you experiencing joy or depression? Do you have childlike visions of toys and celebration with the people you love? Or pressure, loneliness, alienation and annoying relatives?Sometimes we really can't help but ask "What is celebration? Do we really need it?"I can tell you there were times after my divorce and my daughter's death that I asked myself those questions. My kids had moved out. I was alone. Holidays were just painful reminders of the life I no longer had. So I worked. I worked long hours just to avoid the malls with all that chirpy pain-in-the-neck holiday merriment. Bah humbug.But ...(related: Holidays)