Thursday, December 10, 2009

Working Backwards

Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine about Christmas and how stressful it is.  She told me she had heard a radio broadcast that recommended taking some time out to think about Christmas and to try to form a mental picture of Christmas day.  When you can get a clear picture of Christmas, the next step is to try to pick out the important elements.  While visualizing, are you noting the perfectly wrapped gifts with matching paper? Probably not.  The things which come to mind are the things you should focus on and work backward from there to determine your priorities.

I am so glad my friend passed along this bit of wisdom because it has been helping me a lot during this holiday season.

Using this visualization exercise, I have determined that my priorities are:

  • spending time with family
  • attending Mass
  • spending time with friends
  • being prepared ahead of time

These priorities have helped me make decisions already.  I have already done more family related activities this month than I ever have because in the past I was always too busy baking, shopping, and decorating.  I wasn’t sure whether or not I could organize my annual Christmas brunch for a small circle of girlfriends but I decided that the relaxing time we spend together one afternoon in December is very important to me and worth putting other things aside.  As for the shopping, baking, and decorating; they are not priorities anymore so I have decided to pare down all three of them.

More on this theme to follow, but in the meantime, have you decided what your priorities are this Christmas?  Does your to-do list reflect your priorities?

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