Undoubtedly Our Goals for the Holidays is to Have as Much Fun as Possible and Avoid Family Annoyances We spend money left and right during the Holiday Season. We want to make everyone feels loved and paid attention to. WE want to feel loved and paid attention to. Love is in the details so we are on the hunt for the perfect thing that will do the job. We want to host the perfect dinner party. We want to look fantastic and feel confident at the dinner parties we throw and attend by purchasing a new "perfect" dress even though you already have a great outfit that fits that's hanging in your closet. All of the shopping for others ends up being, "one gift for them... two gifts for me" because the options are so tempting that we can't pass them up. The sales and deep discounts make us purchase more than we intend to. In preparation for the New Year (because you know you're not going to start better health choices now because the Holiday's are a time to give in to your every desire. Why restrict your fun by saying no to things that are indulgent when they are all around and it's too hard to say no?) you're already fantasizing about the new you and you purchase the gym membership or yoga studio package deal that you promise you'll use this time, even though you've never stayed consistent for more than a month or two. We spend too much time over indulging this time of year. Over drinking, over eating, over shopping, over talking/gossiping when we over drink. What seems like a good idea ends up having repercussions. Not that we intended it to be that way, we never set out with the intention to harm ourselves. We just are convinced that we will be satisfied, we've been lead to believe if one is good - more is better. We spend money on items in order to feel a fleeting emotion of satisfaction and contentment for a brief moment. How much money does the average human spend on STUFF just to try to feel better if only for a brief moment? We have so much stuff, yet we are still in search to feel better. We go into debt from buying things to feel better, if only for a brief moment. What ends up happening is we go into emotional debt because we don't address what really needs attention. So, the expense of the Holidays can end up in frustration, irritation, low self confidence, regret, hangovers, bloat, weight gain, etc. Why don't we feel better? What really does need attention? The suffering we create comes from our minds. We think we will feel better buy purchasing things, it's what we've been programmed to do over many years. Advertisers are oh so good at creating campaigns geared to what you need to have to feel a certain emotion. Annie Grace, in her book This Naked Mind says, "we buy a products, products, product". What that means is that we are buying what the product is promising to give us which is a feeling. She uses the example of perfume. What is perfume really? It's a liquid full of chemicals. A product with a scent. In the advertisements the perfume company is selling that the scent is promising us to feel sexy, free, happy, content, loved. We are buying an idea that a liquid full of chemicals will make us satisfied. What we are ultimately looking for is a feeling. There is a way to get that feeling without purchasing an item. There is a way to end the cycle of getting sucked into to more is better. It happens when you learn to manage your mind. The feeling you are craving that I spoke of just above comes from your mind... comes from the thoughts that you create. Thoughts that you have the power to generate at any given moment. Just like Glenda the Good Witch said to Dorothy, "you always had the power". When you learn to manage your mind, you stop the hamster wheel. You stop stressing yourself out. When you stop stressing yourself out you won't be in search of the moments of sweet relief you get when you purchase "stuff". You won't need to be relieved at all, because your life stops being something that requires relief. Learning to manage my mind and investing in myself and my well being was the BEST money I spent. Investing in myself and my mind is the only investment with infinite possibilities for me. It is an investment that has given me the gift of emotional and spiritual well being that comes from within me and not from something I purchased that gives me a feeling that lasts for mere moments. Ask yourself, is it the best investment for you to spend money on the holiday sales? Or is it better to invest in long term well being and learning the tools to manage your mind for a lifetime?
P.S. A little math equation: If you drink an average of 5-7 bottles of wine a week (granted the Holiday parties are usually a time when bingeing occurs so you might be drinking more over the next 4 weeks) and each bottle averages $15-$30. How much money are you spending (on yourself, not including drinks you buy for friends and family) over the next 4 weeks on booze?
$75-$210/week...
now multiply that by 4 weeks = $300-$840! ...
$3,900-$10,920/year!!
✅ P.S. Need a simple to follow step-by-step process to drink less? Check out my signature programs HERE.
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