December 23, 2014 by Dymphna 11 Comments

Three wishes for Christmas

Vector illustration of pink bow

So I’ve been thinking about how to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

I was thinking about how to get past some generic “have a good one” type statement, and try and feel into what I really wish for all my students at this time of year.

I love the feeling that comes with Christmas. You can feel the whole continent winding down, as one by one those last minute projects and shopping expeditions are either completed or given up on.

Christmas is to the year what ‘thank-god-it’s-Friday’ is to the work-week. I haven’t held a regular 9-5 job in over a decade, but Friday still feels like Friday, and Christmas still feels like Christmas. And both are difficult times to get things done.

It’s like some of the energy and drive has been let out of the plug hole of the world.

But that’s ok. We work best in cycles of activity and rest, the business of day and the sleep of night. Just go with it. Let a de-fragging world carry you deep into your own rest and de-frag.

Deep and complete rest is essential to a productive and effective life.

Which is why I think family is so central to the experience of Christmas.

We feel safest and most complete when we’re with our tribe – with our pack. We were never designed to live the isolated and alienated lives that the modern world has forced us into.

And so dropping back into the familiar (if sometimes fractious) bubble of family is part and parcel of the rest of Christmas time.

And whatever you do, don’t use Christmas to prove a point.

Some friends of mine a few years back were running themselves ragged trying to fix up the house for Christmas lunch. I’m not talking putting the magazines away and doing a bit of a vacuum.

I’m talking extending the deck and giving the whole house a new coat of paint.

I’m mean that’s great. (Great way to create some extra equity you can draw on!) It’s even great thing to do for yourself. It’s great having a lovely space to live in.

But doing it so you can ‘wow’ your in-laws is madness – especially if your going to take on a whole lot of stress just to do it.

So that’s the first thing I want to wish for all my students. That you find some deep and nourishing relaxation this Christmas time, with your family gathered close.
The other thing I love about Christmas is that we all seem to instinctively clear the decks. There’s no chance of getting anything done, so we’ve got nothing on our plates, only some slowly-forming intentions for the new year.

This is a great chance to take-stock and tune in with our priorities for the year ahead. Because once we’re out of that ‘should-do’ and ‘have-to’ space, we can get into that ‘want to’ space.

What is it that you really want to be doing, but haven’t found space for yet?

Because even all this stuff about planning your next property purchase, or figuring out how you’re going to manufacture growth, this is just tactics. It’s just a means to an end.

Christmas is a great time for figuring out what our ‘ends’ are going to be. What do we really want to be doing? What is it that inspires us and moves us?

We don’t get many chances to get a clear view of this, free from the clouding influences of obligations.

So this is my second wish for Christmas. That the season brings you back to what’s really important to you, and you can enter the new year in full-stride, clear in what it is you really want to be doing.

The last thing I love about Christmas is the way it’s soaked in mystery and magic. I stopped believing in some gift-giving, over-sized chimney sweep years ago, but the magic I felt as a child still stays with me.

Because at it’s heart is the joy of gifts and excited children. And the mystery of life is rooted in joy, I reckon.

And at its deepest heart is the promise of a new age and a new world and salvation from the miseries of the life.

So this is the last wish for Christmas. That it is full of magic and mystery, and full of spirit.

Anyway, this is what I plan to be doing anyway. We’ll all be off-line until Jan 12, soaking our selves in joy and magic and rich food.

I sincerely hope this year has been prosperous and successful for you and all your family. I look forward to walking another step further towards property success with you all next year.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

D.B