I know time is short, so I will keep this short as well. What follows is my 5 Christmas Happiness Tips and a series of Christmas Happiness Practices that I challenge you to try out from Christmas to New Years Day.
They are simple. Easy to do. And I think you will get a lot of benefit out of them, in subtle and simple ways. Remember that it is not enough to know, the real benefit comes when we do. Quite often it is the simple consistent stuff that makes the biggest difference in our lives. In fact, that is the stuff our lives are made of. The simple stuff does matter (a lot).
Happiness Tip 1: Be a ‘Gratitude Fanatic’
Yes, I know this is no surprise. If you know me, you know that this is one of my number one teachings for abundance. But what I am suggesting is not to just to think this is a good idea. I am suggesting that you actually go a little bit crazy with the gratitude this Christmas period. Spread your “Thank you’s” all around you like a wet dog shaking itself dry, so that no-one is left untouched by you. Therefore your Christmas Happiness Practice, should you choose to accept it, is to:
- Aim for a 100% thank you rate (i.e. no-one is left un-thanked that does anything for you, big or small)
- Express your gratitude to the 5 most important people in your life
- Thank yourself (right now) for being uniquely you
Happiness Tip 2: Drink lots of water
Another really simple tip, but let’s face it. Chances are pretty high that we will all be eating and drinking way too much stuff. And a lot of that stuff is unlikely to be high in nutrient value or water-rich. So to help with the natural flow of our bodies and the ability for it to stay as clean as possible over this period, be conscious about drinking even more water than usual. Simple tip – but effective. Therefore your next Christmas Happiness Practice is to:
- Drink a glass of water in the first 15 mins of waking (bedside table is good and a dash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for extra points)
- Aim for a minimum of (8 glasses a day): 3 glasses of water in the AM, 3 glasses of water in the PM, and 2 glasses of water in the EVENING
- Drink a glass of water before going to bed (and yes this can be a part of your 2 evening credits)
Happiness Tip 3: Personal Time Out
You deserve and need a ‘time-out’ over the Christmas period and I am fully aware that many of you have a very different living environment to mine, where I am able to lots of time-outs through the day in order to stay grounded, creative and productive. One of the main reasons being that I do not have kids (yet) and I am a big fan of outsourcing. 😉 So for those that are challenged with getting time for yourself, I strongly encourage you to make time. Schedule it before the day arrives.
Therefore your Christmas Happiness Practice is to:
- Take a 10-15 mins ‘Time Out’ over the Xmas & New Years period (minimum of 2)
- Do it by yourself (no one else gets an invite – even the dog)
- Here are options and suggestions of what you may choose to do in this ‘Time Out’:
- Take a walk in nature
- Sit somewhere quiet and breathe deeply
- Write in a journal, book or piece of paper what you are proud of doing or being in 2012
- Pray or meditate
- Truly see, listen and feel life unfolding around you (hopefully somewhere peaceful)
- Lay on your back and look up at the sky and clouds (this might be inadvisable if you are in the northern hemisphere and it is freezing cold)
Happiness Tip 4: Random act of charity
Apparently this is the time of giving and I think we are all pretty good with this and perhaps this is something you are already doing. So well done. My suggestion is to give to someone or something which is outside your normal circle. Someone or something that you are not really connected to. For me, doing this is like planting a little seed that suggests we are all connected in some way. Whether it is a spiritual thing or an acknowledgement that we all came from the same ‘big bang’. However you choose to frame it; this is about recognizing and celebrating our interconnectedness beyond our family, friends and colleagues. That no one is alone, or needs to be alone. Therefore your Christmas Happiness Practice, if you are cool with it, is to give to someone or something beyond your normal circle of influence.
Happiness Tip 5: Less head and more heart
This is a biggie. There is mounting scientific evidence to suggest there is a real link between a closed emotional heart and heart health issues. So this one is not just for the feel good factor, which actually feels good. This Happiness Tip is about connecting to, opening up with, and communicating more with our hearts. Less thinking this Christmas period and more feeling. Imagine that you are communicating from the heart region, instead of the grey matter in your head. Breathe into your heart more. Connect with your heart. Pay homage to your heart for beating over 30,000,000 times during the past year. Really open your heart up to receiving and giving over this time and you will open the door to a whole new 2013. So your Christmas Happiness Practice is to work on your relationship with your heart over this period. Slow down on the thinking and open up to the feeling. You might be surprised as to what is revealed by your hearts intelligence.
My parting words for 2012
Have an awesome Christmas and New Years Eve and an amazing start to 2013.
I look forward to serving you as best as I can in 2013 and beyond. And here’s to you fully expressing your uniqueness and personal strengths in 2013 as you step closer and closer to being the best possible you!
All the very best.
Cheers,
Carl Massy
Author:
The Guidebook to Happiness