Trading expectations for appreciation
How to overcome stress with gratitude and loveWhen you think about the holidays and the emotions you feel, is stress near the top of your list? Is your mind full with expectations to meet and logistics to iron out, like who is hosting, which gifts to buy and what food to serve? Do you worry about budgets, politics or family dynamics?
All of this stress gets in the way of our true enjoyment of the real meaning of the season. We have rules and beliefs about how things are supposed to be or how people are supposed to be. And when they do not meet our expectations, we suffer.
Listen as Tony and Sage suggest a new approach: Trade your expectations for appreciation, to lead with gratitude and thanksgiving instead of worry, fear or anger.
Most people never decide in advance of an experience the qualities that they are committed to experiencing. They let their past experiences color the present without even being conscious of it. This year, redirect your focus by asking a question like, “What conditions must I create within myself to experience the level of enjoyment I desire this year?” or “What could I focus on and appreciate about this?” Decide that despite the unique circumstances that 2020 brings, this holiday season will be an enjoyable experience for you.
Where focus goes, energy flows. If you decide to focus on the negative, that is what you’ll experience. If you focus on the positive, you’ll bring more positivity into your life. It’s the law of attraction at work, and it applies to your career, personal life and your interactions with your family.
Remember: The only person in the world you can control is yourself. You don’t control the way that others act or whether they meet your expectations. You don’t control outside events, like traffic or holiday shopping lines. But you do control the way that you react to others and to outside events. You can choose to trade expectation for appreciation.
What if you didn’t think about family members showing up late, but were grateful to have people who care about you and who show up at all? What if instead of complaining about waiting in line, you focused on how grateful you are to be able to afford to buy things for the holidays? A small shift in your mindset can change your entire world.
Life is a gift. It is a miracle. And the holidays are a chance to rewire yourself. They’re a chance to put yourself in this state of joy and gratitude. A chance to awaken from your day to day stress and say, “How do I want it to be? What am I going to decide to do?” If you don’t decide, you’re letting stress control you.
