Let’s face it, the Holiday Season can be a crazy, cluttered and overwhelming. The secret to thriving through it all is to have a plan and a budget. So when January comes and the bills start rolling in, you’re not starting off the New Year on the wrong foot.
Find out the gifts that people want. It’s will save you time in the end and you won’t be running around returning things in January.
Have you ever had this happen; it’s Christmas morning and there’s a whole bunch of gifts under the tree, and everyone is rifling through one gift after another like it’s a race? Just when you think the children are going to settle in and play for hours, they run off and play with all their old stuff, and all the new gifts are left piled up in the corner?
`The point is, less-is-more when gift giving. Wouldn’t you rather get that special person one thing they really want versus a whole bunch of things that maybe they don’t?
A lot of the time we get caught up with the season and end up spending way too much money. When we don’t have a plan and we don’t stick to a budget, January ends up being kind of a downer, because we have still have to pay for everything we have purchased on our credit cards. Set a budget per person that is reasonable for your pocketbook.
Here is an excellent strategy that a friend shared on social media that I love that keeps gift-giving in perspective and reduces overspending and overwhelm. Plus, it rhymes so it’s easy to remember!
Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
Something to read
Take it up a notch and consider giving clutter-free gifts. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Lessons
Great for all ages. It could be lessons to learn to play the guitar or the piano. Perhaps attending some kind of class.
Events
There are always lots of music concerts and events. It could be a sports event or a play. Maybe it’s something you can do together. This is always a great option for teenagers; attending their favourite band's concert.
Memberships
This could be a punch card at a gym, a zoo pass or a membership to a theme park if you have one. There are also self-care splurges like a massage, a manicure or pedicure. The latest rage is a hot shave for men which you can get at most hair salons. And who doesn’t want their card detailed; another awesome idea.
Edibles
There are so many specialty food shops that specialize in high-end olive oils and balsamic vinegar pairings. A great alternative to a bottle of wine when invited to someone’s home during the holidays.
Gift Card
A gift cards to your loved one’s favourite place is a sure bet. Especially for teenagers. Whether for food, apparel, books or music, gift cards are always a hit.
Do-it-yourself Gifts
There is nothing quite as thoughtful as a home-made gift. It could be as simple as a gift certificate booklet you create with experiences for your loved one like a massage, foot bath, movie night, dinner out, dinner in which you make, mowing the lawn/shovelling snow, or just about anything that they enjoy but don’t often treat themselves to.
There are so many options for do-it-yourself gifts; check out Pinterest for some inspiration.
When you have a plan and a budget for your gift giving, you can avoid waking up in the New Year with too much stuff, nowhere to put it and mounting credit card bills. That is stressful and with some planning and attention can be avoided.
Enjoy the holiday season. Remember less-is-more when gift giving and that it’s not about the stuff; it’s about the moments. And hey, the greatest present you can give this Holiday Season is your presence so let yourself off the hook.
Happy Holidays!
Leigh Ann makes her home with her family in the Canadian Rocky Mountains where they enjoy a life of balance, simplicity and adventure. Best known as an Intuitive Change-maker and Abundance Coach, Leigh Ann helps women declutter their life on a physical, mental and spiritual level.
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Lead with Strength first. As a Strengths Coach, this just makes sense. In fact, it makes sense to most of us coaches out there. Easy to say, not necessarily easy to incorporate or live out daily.
What is this strengths stuff we are always on about? Well, let’s start with Talent first. According to Dr. Clifton, the Father of Strengths-based Psychology and the Grandfather of Positive Psychology, he believes talent is a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors that come naturally, and are the greatest source for true potential and power. Thanks Dr. Clifton, couldn’t have said it better myself.
So, what is strength then? Strength is the ability to consistently produce a positive outcome through near perfect performance in a specific task. So, finish with Strength, but start with talent. Again, thank you Dr. Clifton.
What really drew me to becoming a Strengths coach, is the philosophy behind Strengthsfinder. Why waste time trying to perfect our weakness’s? The world is real quick to point out where we lack, what we need to get better at, and where we suck. It’s awful, and its not right.
Instead, let’s work on our alreadynatural talents, develop the hell out them and live life truly, in our very own strengthszone, yes? Yes. Yes. Yes. This was and still is very attractive to me.
So, this is where the ‘get a coach’ comes in.
The tricky part about leading with Strengths first, is that it probably won’t just naturally occur without a little support, coaching and spending time developing yourself. Enter ‘get a coach’.
We need to understand HOW to utilize our talents, partner and pair our talents, and which talents to pull out in certain situations. We need to be reminded and asked about times when we REALLY rocked it, when we were literally unstoppable…on fire if you will. Those are the moments we want to re-create, we want to live those moments again and again and again. Chances are, we are so caught up in our daily lives and telling ourselves ‘I suck’….that we have forgotten how truly powerful we are.
So, talent x investment = Strength.
As my friend John Maxwell always says, ‘Anything worthwhile is uphill.’ The most beautiful things in life take work, time and investment.
Becoming a coach has been a life changing experience for me. I walked away, literally…from a healthy 6 figure income just over a year ago to chase MY dreams, instead of someone else’s. I walked away because the values were no longer in alignment with mine. So, am I serious about strengths based leadership, absolutely. 100%
Helping people develop their greatness is the most rewarding ‘job’ I’ll ever do. I firmly believe this world needs a complete shift in how we view employee’s, management, leaders, and of course women (don’t’ get me started on that…we’ll save that for another day).
We need to celebrate success. Not consistently point out flaws. We need more ‘heart’ in the workplace, and we need confident forward thinking, strength based people to help us get there.
I’m Katy, and I want to lead with strengths first. Join me.
In Strength,
Katy Loewen Co.
Leadership & Success Coach
www.katyloewen.com
Katy@katyloewencom
