Feeling more frazzled than festive? Time to unplug & play!

Ho Ho Ho!   Seasons Greetings from Melbourne where the barometer is due to hit 40C/100F today!

If you’re from the northern hemisphere, a heatwave may not feel very Christmas-like but it’s certainly feeling very Christmassy to me! And not just because I’m in a sundress.

Long shopping lists, social gatherings, raucous kids reminding me what they want Santa to bring (even my 15 year old!) and conversations about New Years Eve parties are all reminders that the year is coming to a close.

And I have to say – what a big year it’s been!  Between the release of my second book Stop Playing Safe and a lot of speaking, writing, coaching, media and travel, there hasn’t been much downtime.  In fact I feel a bit like an iPhone that keeps getting put on the charger for 20 minutes to get its battery back up to 50% but haven’t had a full recharge in far too long.

Which is why I’m excited to be heading up to a beautiful little place called Nungurner where I grew up for a few weeks. With all my extended family flying in from around the country and the globe it wont necessarily be a quiet vacation, but I will be out of work- mode and into play-mode with beaches,  boating, BBQs and talent nights all on the agenda.  Bring it on I say!

While I realise you may have very different plans over the festive season, I hope you will also make time to stop all your busy-ness, turn off your gadgets and have some genuine ‘play time.’  It’s so easy to get so caught up in the seriousness of life that we forget to simply have fun. Yet unleashing our ‘inner child,’ letting our hair down and just having fun is such an important part of living well.

Just yesterday I was talking to a woman who said she’s worked so hard in her career that she hardly has any real friends. I know there’s many people, like me, who often struggle to find the right balance between pursuing their dreams and ambitions and  giving themselves permission to slow down, savour the journey and invest in relationships. The constant friction between productive  ‘doing’ and simply ‘being’ can be hard to overcome. Yet the irony is that only when we are being fully present to each moment, can we be fully productive in our ‘uptime.’

So as you move through events of the days ahead, give yourself permission to unplug, to be ‘unproductive’ (in the workaholic way), to ‘waste some time’ and to just get present to the many blessings in your life and the people whom you share it with.

Knowing what matters most is by far the most important ingredient to facing your many challenges, and pursuing your goals, with the courage, resilience and determination to see them through.

So on that note, I wish you a Happy Holidays, Joyous Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Festive Kwanza or whatever tradition dominates your life this festive season.  May it be filled with family, friends and lots of wi-fi free fun!