My husband and I went to dinner a few nights ago and discussed the questions I sent you last week.
Here are some things we decided.
We decided we wanted to be intentional about getting outside and experiencing the beautiful fall weather.
So we will explore different metro parks and go to orchards and pumpkin farms.
We love our tradition of having our kids and grandkids come over on trick-or-treat night.
We make a big pot of chili and have other fall foods like apple cider and pumpkin rolls and enjoy all the adorable trick or treaters.
We discussed menus, gift ideas, parties, etc.
But most importantly, we decided how we want to feel.
It was a great conversation, and together, we decided we want to feel grateful, generous, and engaged.
We chose how we want to feel ahead of time.
We won’t allow unforeseen circumstances to dictate our feelings.
The truth is we can’t control circumstances or people.
The weather could be bad, sickness can occur, and the oven could break (true story).
People might not show up, or someone could be rude or grumpy or talk about politics.
But none of that dictates how you feel.
Only your thoughts about it determine how you feel.
And good news! Your thoughts, feelings, and actions are always in your control.
Knowing what you are in control of helps you plan wisely.
We want to feel grateful, generous and engaged no matter what happens, so we planned our THOUGHTS ahead of time.
We choose to think thoughts like,
Our life is so good, and we have so much to be grateful for = feeling grateful.
We love to share our home, food, and time with our loved ones = feeling generous.
Our kids are grown, and we want to enjoy every minute with them = feeling engaged.
These thoughts create the feelings we need to drive the action of preparing our home, food, time, and conversations enjoyably.
Will some things go “wrong”? Absolutely.
Will we still enjoy the day? Absolutely.
Because we choose to.
So, instead of focusing on all you have to DO and letting that dictate your FEELINGS, start with how you want to FEEL and allow that to dictate what you DO.
Do you want to feel exhausted or rejuvenated during the holidays?
What you think, feel, and do now will create your experience.
So, as you plan the meals, decorations, activities, and gifts, don’t forget to plan your feelings.
One person showing up prepared can affect the entire dynamic of your gathering.
You can be that person.
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