I know...I can't believe it either. 100 days until Christmas?! This year has really flown by. As I've mentioned before, I've been taking an intense financial planning program this year. Since January, I've been studying and taking classes, mid-terms and finals. I finally got my last grade last Wednesday! (I got a 92 on my final presentation! Whew!) I'll tell you all about it very soon, but I wanted to send this to you today, to help calm us all down before the holidays really get going! It's written by my friend and fellow coach in an amazing year long membership, Angela Kristen Taylor. If you want more info about the membership, just let her or I know! Send me an e-mail at hello@katychenmazzara.com. Meanwhile, get your pumpkin spiced lattes out (do people still love these?)...get cozy...and enjoy reading...
Today marks 107 days left until the New Year.
That's only 45 days till Halloween...
73 days till Thanksgiving...
100 days till Christmas...
Fall is in the air, most places anyway...
Here in Florida we're still struggling with near 100 degree temps but drinking our pumpkin spice lattes anyway as I sit here and type wearing jeans and a cardigan sweater with my freshly added Fall color in my hair. (Katy's note: It's 85 degrees here in beautiful Pasadena and 79 degrees in Los Angeles!)
I can pretend it's Fall weather in the quiet air-conditioned space of my own home right?
This time of year though always makes me think of how people get lost in holiday mode, get stuck in high stress levels around family gatherings, money spent on gifts and parties, and for some, even the pain of wishing for the company of loved ones no longer with them.
Productivity slows, guilt over goals not achieved runs rampant, and the stress levels continue to build.
Coping with all of that leads to over-eating, over-spending, and by January, it's easy to be left with too much debt, too many added pounds, all the guilt over time wasted, and a flood of emotions buried deep so as not to experience the pain of releasing them.
How will that affect your year coming?
You may start your year out with big goals, a list of self-promises, and jump into it like gang-busters but... How long have you been in this cycle?
What would it feel like to take these 107 days and do something momentous with them instead?
To spend this Fall and Winter engaged in strategy, planning, and a complete cycle upheaval so you not only finish strong and healthy, free from guilt and stress, but have a plan going into your next year that feeds off of the growth mode you finished this one in, instead of being a remorseful attempt at getting back on track after another year fizzled?
The key is recognizing how it all ties together.
How you eat affects how you feel and whether or not you catch every nasty little bug floating around this season.
Your stress levels are affected by the amount of work you have to do, your level of organization in doing it, and the other responsibilities and noise levels around you, in addition to added emotional triggers from unresolved issues.
How you feel affects how much work you get accomplished and how capable you are of achieving your goals.
Productivity is rooted in emotion.
- What emotions do you associate with Fall & Winter?
- What typically happens to your life and your business this time of year?
Your answers to those questions can allow you to see what's blocking you and where you need to heal.
When your emotions are on track, so is your productivity.
Think about that for a moment...
- How do you feel at the start of a new year?
- How much do you get accomplished in those first couple of months?
See the difference?
When you start drinking the sugary hot holiday flavored drinks at Starbucks, indulging in the holiday sweets, battling the crowds to find the perfect gifts or that ideal party dress, rushing around to do get all your errands accomplished, and then stress over family issues you just know will come up at those gatherings- your actions are going to dictate your emotions.
You're eating in a way that induces more stress and weakens your immune system, you're engaging in activities that increase feelings of chaos, and then the family issues never resolved add fuel to that fire.
Instead of allowing your actions to dictate your emotions, do the reverse.
Feel first.
Start your day in a way that focuses on feeling positive emotions and end it by crafting the experience you want to create the next day.
Don't just let life happen.
Curate your experience each and every day. Plan the activities you want to engage in and have a strategy behind them, just like you do in January, and you can get your January results now and keep them going throughout the holiday season.
Wanna know how to have an amazing holiday season and still get New Year style results in your business?
Download The Productive Souls Holiday Survival Guide now as my pre-holiday gift to you.
Because no one should have to struggle through what can be the best part of the year.
And to relieve you of some money worries, I have a different way of tracking your spending...by taking a look at your emotional patterns. To get this FREE money tracker, just go HERE. Let us know how you keep stress down during the holidays! Would love to hear your tips and tricks! Comment below! And as always, I would love it if you'd subscribe to get notices on when the new blog posts are up and my trusted team member, Dan Brown's, take.
As always, with so much Gratitude,
