So, this is Christmas..
by Indigo Irwin Kennedy ©Author: Indigo Irwin Kennedy/TheWaveRiders.com (PI1204xmas)

Every Christmas my mind begins to sing the words...

"So, this is Christmas and what have you done, another year over and a new one just begun…" ("Happy Christmas" (War Is Over) by John Lennon)

...and I think to myself "what have I done?"

So many of us will scurry and sweat to make the deadline, presents purchased and cards mailed and at the end of it all, we sit exhausted and wonder why our Christmas spirit eludes us. Our focus inevitably turns to our accomplishments or lack of them and our Christmas becomes a measuring stick rather than a celebration.

At Christmas in particular, our thoughts can quickly turn negative. We may condemn ourselves for not accomplishing great tasks or achieving the "Hallmark Christmas" that certainly must symbolize our success. All of a sudden, it hits us…another year is gone and we have accomplished nothing but work, work, and more work or perhaps we wasted yet one more year in depression.

We realize that we did not manage to save the world or hit the top 10 on the record charts. Our business did not make it into the fortune magazine top 1000 companies or we did not find our soul mate.

Many of us will focus in on our attempts to improve and we will remember how many times we failed. How many times did we stumble? How many times did we try to do something to improve our lives and ourselves and then stop again?

Does it matter? No!

It does not matter how many times you tried to lose weight and failed it only matters that you keep trying. It does not matter how many times you tried to quit smoking it only matters that you put the cigarettes down again. It does not matter how many times you tried to fix up your house, it only matters that you pick up the paintbrush one more time. It does not matter how many times you have tried to get yourself out of depression … it only matters that you get up out of bed and try to smile again, because one of these times - you will make it!

Our quote of the month for December newsletter is "Live your imagination, not your history" By Dr. Stephen Covey. This means to mean that you stop focusing on what you did or did not do and you begin to let your imagination soar into what you will do.

Remember that your present was created by your past decisions. These decisions were made before you understood the theories and steps in The Wave Riders Book. Because you are now aware of what is driving you up and down you can begin to take back control of your life and start to make better decisions for yourself. Better decisions = better living!

This Christmas instead of thinking about what you did not get or what you did not accomplish over the past 12 months, try instead to enjoy your friends and family or even enjoy the time to yourself and prepare for the 12 months of 2005 as we take you through the 12 steps to better living. Beginning in January, each new month will bring a new article that will help you to improve your relationships, finances and decision-making processes all specifically designed or tweaked to work for Wave Riders.

So, while you prepare for the upcoming year… light a candle this Christmas and when you do visualize that candle as existing in your solar plexus. Visualize that this candle holds your faith. Let it symbolize your willingness to always believe in yourself and your world. When you cannot find hope, find your light within and focus there until the tide of negativity washes over and away from you. Let the tiny flame keep you warm and remind you that God is always with us. God does not turn away; we walk away from God. We walk away when we focus on want rather thanking God for what we have. We walk away when we see only the bad in the world and we do not see the good things that happen every day. We walk away when we give more value to the Hallmark rating of success rather than valuing God's approval.

If all you have this Christmas is a place to keep you warm, food in your fridge and people that love you - remember to say thank you.

If you feel pain inside, your focus is currently on what you want and do not have or the negative reports that pour in from the news. Turn off the computer, turn off the TV and put away the newspaper. Instead of wallowing at home with thoughts of what the world is not, start searching the world for the for the tiniest bit of good that you can find, and then focus so long on that tiny good, that it begins to grow.

Instead of thinking about what you did not do, prepare for the goodness that you will bring into your life one step at a time…one newsletter a month.

I urge you to reread the article from Christmas 2003
"Don't set yourself up for a Blue Christmas".

Happy Holidays

Yours in Faith,
Indigo Irwin Kennedy
Beyond the mind, around the heart, fill the soul.