aka – How to be an awesomeness magnet.
I know you still have a little holiday hangover from the chocolate/nacho binge, so I am going to give you the easy peasy way to make New Year’s Resolutions that work.
1. Step away from the dark chocolate.
2. Write a list of the top six things you want:
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Now, chances are you put things on your list like get a new job, change my husband, or change the laws about muzzling the children. But those aren’t what you actually wanted. You wanted the feeling you get from those things.
So write the list again, but use the feeling state you want:
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These should be something like security, deep joy, sanity, etc.
Then, write a list of ways to bring these feelings into your life right now: (Why wait?)
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Yes, there is effort involved, but that will make it all the sweeter.
And remarkably, once you have the feelings in your life, it draws the things you want into your life like a magnet.
I’m positive.
(A little magnet humor.)
I let my 15-year-old daughter go to New York City for four days.
Over New Year’s Eve.
Originally the deal had been that she could go visit her friend by herself, (well, with another 15-year-old… better or worse?) with the caveat that she wouldn’t go to Times Square for New Year’s Eve.
Well, things got all busy with the hubbub around my son’s knee surgery, so it wasn’t until she was up there, and it was New Year’s Eve, and plans had changed and she WAS at Time’s Square that I had time to stop and think about it.
I had been originally worried that she would get separated from the group in the freezing cold and not be able to find her way back to her friend’s apartment.
But now it was the Eve, and I switched on the TV around 11:30, and suddenly the light flicked on in my head: obvious terrorist target.
Jees.
Worry had reared its ugly head.
Worry never helps anyone.
I know you think it does, but it doesn’t.
Worry just FEELS like we are doing something about something.
Somewhere I believe that if I worry enough, that hyper vigilance will lead me to think of the one thing that could save my baby girl.
Now, I know that it feels like if you worry, you have some sort of control over the situation.
But you don’t.
The truth is, you have no control.
You can only make decisions and take action.
The truth is, if you raise your blood pressure/increase your heart rate, can’t focus, breath shallowly and bite your fingernails (aka worry) you are less likely to make the right decisions and take helpful action.
So, what could I have done?
- Called my daughter and panic her, and lead her to shallow breathing and make poor decisions.
- Use my mind control over any possible terrorists who made it through the police barriers and checkpoints to wrestle them to the ground.
- Call the NYC police and block the phone lines that people with real emergencies need.
- Enjoy New Year’s Eve with my cutie-pie husband and son.
It has taken some practice to slide from my scary thought right into d. , but that’s what this coaching stuff is all about.
I’m loving it!
Those who have known me for a few years know that I delight in my traditional evening meal on December 25th.
Yes, my friends, this is the origin story of the Christmas Nachos.
One special evening in the 00’s we were driving home from Greenville, NC on Christmas Eve. It was fifteen minutes until grocery stores closed… still four hours from home… when I realized we had no food in the refrigerator at home. Catching the exit and wheeling into the Piggly Wiggly, I realized my spartan cupboard at home resembled an NPR Lynne Rosetto Kasper cooking challenge… we had nothing but cheese, onions and a can of refried beans. We had successfully whittled down the food before we left on our trip to prevent spoilage.
It had seemed like a good strategy at the time.
New strategy: I sent Whitney in for tortilla chips and a jar of salsa.
So, one night a year, this mother has the dinner she wants. Everything else on Christmas day is for the children. And that makes me happy. But that one day a year, I just want to collapse in exhaustion with a pile of gooey cheese covered with caramelized onions.
However, the real legend of the Christmas nacho dates back to biblical times.
For in the town of Bethlehem, lying in a manager there was a small child and they named him Jesus. When there was a respite between visits from Kings and angels and taking the donkey out to do his business, Mary had a private talk with Joseph. “Now Joseph, you know I love no one but you. And I know you have been wondering why Jesus doesn’t look like anyone in either of our families. Well, Joseph, the thing is… He’s nacho’ baby.”
And thus, the legend of the Christmas Nacho was born.
Bon Appetite!