I must confess I always breathe a sigh of relief when Christmas is over. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the festivities and all that goes with it, but the run-up never fails to take me by surprise, so I greet Christmas slightly exhausted and definitely stressed. How and why this happens every year could provide material for a separate blog, but today I’m still concerned with Christmas presents and Christmas gifts.
Who remembers being a child and opening a Christmas present that sent waves of pleasure and excitement through you? Who remembers opening a present and feeling the weight of disappointment? The chances are that you’ve experienced both, so what did you feel when someone gave you a nicely wrapped gift this Christmas? Were you motivated to immediately unwrap it confidently, expecting something exciting and special, or with indifference and possibly even foreboding?
Whether the presents you received gave you pleasure or the flatness of disappointment is largely dependent on expectation. If we hold within us a desire for fulfilment that we expect to be met by people, places or things around us, then we are always setting ourselves up for possible disappointment. If we expect the world and the people around us to give us what we want and need, then we need to look inside first.
If we are happy with who we are and know that we already are all that we need to be and have within us all that we could possibly want, then whatever we receive from the outside world can give us pleasure. It is all a matter of awareness.
Take a moment to remember how it felt to find that shiny new bike, or shiny piece of technological wizardry that you were yearning for. Remember that feeling of receiving something that absolutely delighted you and hold on to that feeling. Keep that memory because it’s part of you and can always be enjoyed. It’s the feeling you allowed yourself to have - your choice - your magic and no-one can take it away. Keep the good feelings and let go of the negatives. It is what you deserve, so take it.
Our thoughts trigger our emotional responses, so how we feel is a result of how we think. Choose for a moment to think of something pleasurable and wonderful. Notice how you feel. You created that feeling by your thoughts, so know that you can repeat that at any time you choose.
The intention of the book and CD, AN INSIDE JOB™, is to help everyone view themselves and their life as a gift. The kind of gift that always excites and lasts forever. We too are gifts, so unwrap your outer self with care and gently explore what is within, knowing that you have many wonderful aspects to enjoy. If your true wonderful self isn’t immediately visible, then take the time to gently unwrap a little more because it is there - only shrouded by unwanted wrapping that has enfolded it by circumstance and past occurrences.
When I open a present I tingle with the pleasure of knowing that someone has recognised I am worthy of it. I tingle with the gratitude that someone has taken the time and energy to find, buy and wrap it. I tingle with the delight of all the fun and pleasant memories that it triggers. I enjoy whatever is inside the wrapping, because of what it represents to me and if it’s something of particularly beauty or luxury, then that is a lovely bonus. What is really interesting, as I have learned and evolved as a human being, so have the gifts that have been presented to me from the outside world become more wonderful - or is that just my perception?