This time of year it’s easy to get lost in the holiday shuffle and also a time when many of our goals tend to go by the wayside. I’ve been working hard with my clients and myself to stay focused and finish the year strong, yet still enjoy the holidays to the fullest.

Here is a list of 5 tips to keep you focused and energized this holiday season.

1. Be Present-Where ever you are and whomever you’ve chosen to spend time with over the holidays make sure you are really there. No one likes being around someone that is always distracted, or constantly checking their smart phones for other things that are happening. Your family and your friends deserve the best of you so allow them that experience. You may find yourself around friends or relatives that you haven’t really connected with in the past so take some time to get to know person instead of judging them or comparing your life to theirs. Wherever you are BE THERE!
2. Eat Some Healthy Food– Holidays are the time to indulge in those holiday treats at events and gatherings so don’t feel the need to deprive yourself of Grandma’s Sugar Explosion. Before you head out to those holiday events make sure you eat some healthy foods during the day. Filling yourself up with something of nutritional value prior to the holiday gathering will make you less likely to over-indulge while you are there.
3. Control Your Alcohol Consumption– A good rule to stick by is one drink of your choice, then one glass of water (go ahead and dress it up with a lime and a straw, no one will think less of you) I also believe it’s best to stick with one type of drink vs. mixing and matching. Make sure that you avoid becoming the “cautionary tale” at your holiday party or event.
4. Get Some Exercise– All the sugar and carbohydrates can cause you to feel a bit lethargic and have less energy. Schedule time to work up a sweat over the holidays. Go to the gym, sign up for a class, pick up a racket, play some golf (warm weather states only), or just go for a walk around the block. You will burn off some of those extra calories, feel better, and have more energy as a result.
5. Unplug From the Matrix- You have heard me say this a thousand times, and I’m going to say it again. Shut off those smart phones and computers for a few hours and be “unavailable.” Disconnect from your virtual life and re-connect with your real life. Go shopping without being in a rush, sit down at a coffee shop and people watch, schedule a message, have lunch with an old friend, do something your really love. Your business will not shut down if you take some time for yourself and those you say that you care about.

Any one of these little tips will help you really enjoy the holidays and those around you will get to experience the best version of you. Please add your own tips in the comments below so we can all benefit from your personal holiday “Quarter Turns.”

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Looking forward to our next conversation in 2015

Thoughts for the week:

To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance. – Philip Andrew Adams

Love the giver more than the gift. – Brigham Young

As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. – Donald E. Westlake

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. – Hamilton Wright Mabie

Everyone is so worried about what they eat between Christmas and New Years, but they should really worry about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas – Unknown