One of the movies I love to watch at this time of year is The Holiday, with Kate Winslet, Cameron
Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law. It tells the story of Amanda, a workaholic movie
trailer producer in California, and Iris, a newspaper editor in the U.K., who exchange
homes on a whim in hopes of mending their broken hearts. The swap puts each of
them in an environment quite unlike their own.
Amanda (Diaz) flees her huge, hi-tech Tuscan style L.A. home for Iris’s cozy,
quaint, stone cottage in the English countryside. And Iris (Winslet) leaves
behind the tranquility of her country garden for the fast pace and palm trees
of La La Land.
Through a series of events and interactions (that’s where
Black and Law come in) Amanda and Iris are each given the opportunity to step
back from their day-to-day selves to find and honor the “hidden gems” within
their respective personalities. In Amanda’s case, she’s finally able to release
the emotions she’d been suppressing for so long. Her softer side emerges. For
Iris, she’s finally able to let go of a co-dependent relationship. Her stronger
side emerges.
We all have hidden gems that too often stay suppressed
because of the hectic pace and responsibilities of our day-to-day lives. The
holidays are a great opportunity to give yourself the gift of time to reflect
on the value you bring to your work, to your family, to your community, to the
world.
I encourage you to take some time during this holiday season
to write yourself a letter of gratitude. Honor yourself for your
accomplishments and for your uniqueness. Think back over the year and those
moments when someone has expressed gratitude or admiration for something you’ve
done or said – what was the quality within you that prompted their reaction?
When we acknowledge those qualities we are able to help them grow even more.
End the year with gratitude. Be grateful for YOU, just who you are. Never let
the things you want make you forget the things you have.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” C.G.
Jung
In this holiday season, I’m so grateful for each and every
one of you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom through your comments and the
work that you do.
Happy Holidays,
Rebecca
