How About Some Good News?

When I was single, it wasn't officially Christmas until I walked out the door on the last evening before my vacation began, often on Christmas Eve. Now, the last days of school before the Christmas holiday break send a much earlier signal that it's time to shut down. At my house, that is this week - I am officially in the holiday mindset!

This week I have really enjoyed being with my family and not thinking too much about world affairs. Hearing my daughter squeal with delight as we drove through "Santaland" in East Texas was a high point, even after waiting in a ridiculous car line for an hour. And the best experience of all was last night's preschool Christmas concert where I got to watch her belt out "Happy Birthday Jesus" like she was Beverly Sills. It just can't get any better! For me it was a few minutes of pure, uninterrupted joy, with no thoughts of the economy, "what-will-we-do-if," and did I do everything I needed to today, etc.

A fascinating article in last week's New York Times by Dr. Gregory Berns, a neuroeconomist, describes how fear can significantly impair decision-making in hard times. He states: "The most concrete thing that neuroscience tells us is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off. The first order of business, then, is to neutralize that system.

This means not being a fearmonger. It means avoiding people who are overly pessimistic about the economy. It means tuning out media that fan emotional flames. Unless you are a day-trader, it means closing the Web page with the market ticker. It does mean being prepared, but not being a hypervigilant, everyone-in-the-bunker type."

I like Dr. Berns' idea of shutting off whatever feeds your fears. Last night at the "concert" I experienced that very thing. What will you do to shut out discouragement and make room for creative thought and positive decisions? What will you bring in that will encourage and inspire you?I for one will spend more time reading things that are purely entertaining, watching some fun movies and observing the world through the eyes of my daughter. I will make a concerted effort to be an encouragement to everyone I am around. And as part of that strategy I am making available my online coaching courses I've been telling you about. AND, since you have been so kind as to open and read my e-mail messages, Read more here: http://coachgwen.com/e-courses.htm

And if you think I'm nuts for offering this the week before Christmas, take heart. I think that there may be some of you who have vacation time in the next few weeks who might enjoy some time for self-reflection, goal-setting and action-planning. And maybe you would like an alternative to the same old list of New Year's resolutions. And maybe you have friends or family members who are at a crossroads and you will want to forward the information to them. Again, here is the link: http://coachgwen.com/e-courses.htm

I wish you the warmest, most joy-filled season ever! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!