29th April 2024

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The Practice of Gratitude Amidst Festive Overwhelm

The Practice of Gratitude Amidst Festive Overwhelm

Hey there, I just wanted to come on and wish you all a happy holiday season and I wanted to acknowledge and validate that if, for whatever reason, you are feeling not great or overwhelmed, or underwhelmed, or however you’re feeling, I just want to check in with you and let you know that it’s perfectly okay.

I myself am absolutely feeling a myriad of emotions, feelings, energies right now, and I wanted just to let you know that it’s perfectly normal for you, for me, and to also let you know that just by thinking about things, getting curious about things, that’s enough. Like, even if there’s not an answer right, like I mean, I could find myself falling down the rabbit hole today of saying why do I feel this way? And then analyzing it and then getting into it and then trying to create some tools to get out of it. And you know, the hardest thing, but also probably one of the best things to do, is just to stop, just stop. These are not things that require action.

These thoughts that come in, they’re just thoughts and I feel them. I don’t know, I guess I’m hypersensitive, and it may be also that I just spent some time in New York City, so I was hyper, in tune with the energy of the holiday and the excitement and the I don’t want to say toxic positivity, but definitely the pressured joy, the pressure to have a good time, to celebrate, to get together with family, to be eating the right things.

You know what? I didn’t none of it. Well, I did some of it, but nothing changed. Let me say I didn’t do it for the sake of doing, and I’m okay with that. I mean, I’m really okay with that. I didn’t do it in defiance of look at me, I’m not doing anything, but I just listened to what was going on, and inside and outside, and honestly, did not really attribute any meaning to it. You know, assigning meaning is probably one of the most common things that we do. That kind of makes us feel muddled. You know, I could assign meaning to why I’m doing this and that would make me second guess why I’m on a microphone right now talking to you about nothing, when you know, Lisa, you could be writing something. You could be writing something or expressing something that’s really poignant, or, you know, or something that makes people feel better, or something that makes me feel better, or, and you know what? I don’t even know where this is going to go. I don’t know if I’m going to publish it.

I just wanted you to know that we are all so very unique and different, but you know what, at the end of the day, we’re all so very much the same. You are a fellow human and we’re here together. We don’t know why. It’s not important that we know why, only that we’re here. And I want to thank you for being here listening in this moment, and I’m smiling, and I don’t know if you’re smiling or if you’ve already hung up on me, so to speak. I just wanted to check in. I’ve got lots of cool stuff coming up and I’ll share that with you. But you know what? It just doesn’t feel right to do that right now. It doesn’t feel right to go into some big diatribe about all the exciting stuff that’s ahead or all the deals you can get if you come in now.

I just want to encourage you to remember that now is all we have and that every single solitary thing good and bad or otherwise that has led you to where you are today is perfectly natural and okay and has nothing to do with what you choose or decide to become or do tomorrow. Nor does it matter. What matters is now, in this moment, just take a few breaths just to know that you’re here. It’s enough. It’s really enough. My friends, there’s something bubbling up inside of me and I’m not sure what it is, but I’m going to let it simmer and I’m going to listen and I’m going to hold space and

I’m going to really tune into real gratitude. That has nothing to do with anybody else or anything else, because that’s the gratitude I take with me every day, not once or twice a year or when I’m only meditating or it’s there all the time. It’s an allowance and we need to slow down long enough to feel it and to hear it and to know it. I feel you, I do. You’re going to be just fine. Much love and light and massive gratitude.

Listen to Audio Version here!

Published in Collaboration with:

Wide Open Stages

Also by Lisa Hopkins:

What To Do When Your Networking is NOT-Working

Taking the Pressure Off of Flow

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