“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go…”  Hard to believe it is that time of the year already.  It’s also the time of year to look back and give thanks for what we have and to lend a helping hand to those who are not as fortunate as we.

During this time of the year, we all need to step back and take a look at our lives.  Are we happy with what we have? Are we grateful for the blessings we have been given?  Or are we wishing our lives away, wishing we had more money, more things, more time?  Much too often we look at what others have and wish we had that too.  We probably need to do just the opposite.  We should celebrate what we DO have! If we spend our time always looking somewhere else and wishing we had what they have, we never truly see what we have ourselves.  We never celebrate our uniqueness, our own accomplishments, our own treasures.  The grass always looks greener on the other side, but once you get there, it’s usually no different (or at times even worse) than what you already had. 

This past week is one of those times to celebrate!  The football team made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.  Granted, we all wanted to win and move on, but look at it this way – we were one of the eight best teams in the state!  TOP 8 – that is worth celebrating.  And the volleyball team ended as the TOP team in the state in D-1 volleyball.  This is an experience all of us will never forget.  Only six teams get to say they are state champions! Enjoy the moment – take the time to soak this in and celebrate this milestone.

However, this doesn’t mean we stop here.  Enjoying the moment doesn’t mean to stop working towards our goals.  We still need to maintain our focus and do what we can to improve on these outcomes.  We cannot get complacent where we are at – we will either get better or get worse.  So, as we soak this in, we must ask ourselves, “What can we do to be even better?”

This is true in whatever we do – in our jobs, our personal lives and even being a parent.  What can we do to become a better person – a better parent – a better friend? How can we make our lives better and in turn make someone else’s life better in return?  How can we improve upon ourselves to in turn help someone else?

Take a little time this holiday season to celebrate the blessings each of us has been given.  I have three at home (and one in college) who seem to take the back seat, and I take for granted.  Maybe it’s time I put them front and center and let them know how much they mean to me. Celebrating life’s little successes along the way is something we should cherish.  If we go through life wishing all the time, how will we ever know if our wishes came true?

Just a little food for thought – have a safe and happy holiday season.  ENJOY!

Thought for the month – Complacency is the breeding ground for failure.