NO is a complete sentence.
No. Period.
Give yourself the gift of owning your no. The holidays are the perfect time to put this into practice.
In having a conversation with a friend where she was recounting all the things she had to do---decorate the house, make cookies with the kids, buy and make presents for a huge list of people including all her kids' teachers---I saw the stress in her body, heard the tension in her voice, and felt her stress vibrating out into the room.
I asked her why she needed to do all those things. And the answer was based on what was perceived as other people's expectations.
When you step back and observe, how crazy is it that we deplete ourselves over what we think or allow other people to expect from us?
Here's the thing. When I realized there are no have-to's or shoulds, I found a level of freedom I'd never experienced before. When I stopped trying to meet other people's expectations, honoured where I was at, and owned my no, life took an incredible new form.
The holidays are a great time to practice this. If it doesn't truly light you up inside and ignite your heart, ask yourself why you're even doing it.
Remind yourself that the grocery store sells cookie dough. The bakery sells cookies. You can skip decorating the whole house and curl up on the couch with popcorn and hot chocolate and watch movies instead.
You're not required to give anyone gifts. A heartfelt note or conversation will be just as appreciated. And if it's not, that's actually not your worry.
Take care of you. Don't be afraid to say no. Remember that every day presents you with the opportunity to create more of what you want and saying yes to what lights you up and leaving the rest is a liberating experience.
It's also a healing experience that quickly shows us the places in ourselves that we need to show up.
You'll begin to see that you can't create love from a place of fear.
You can't create peace from a place of anger.
You can't create connection from a place of competition.
You see where I'm going with this.
Whatever you want more of, CHOOSE it, BE it, CREATE it.
You ARE the creator of your life. Spirit will support you in bringing all of your heart's desires to form when you're creating from a place of truth, love, authenticity, and integrity.
Step into that space, open your heart, and flow. And step away from all the rest.
In every moment, every day, the choice is yours.
Choose wisely.
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