Every year my family loves the act of giving and receiving holiday cards.
But this season, several folks told me how they hate getting cards because they think the people sending them are trying to portray some kind of perfect life. See, they know that some of the people sending those cards are actually really struggling in their lives, so their cheerful messages can feel fake.
But I believe there’s an opportunity to think about holiday cards a little differently.
Every person, every family—and certainly every team and organization in the world—is not perfect. But our imperfections shouldn’t stop us from celebrating all the good that surrounds us or keep us from imagining a better future for ourselves.
Perhaps the giving and receiving of holiday cards teaches us to pause, despite our struggles, to recognize what binds us together, share well wishes and portray a hopeful image of who we want to be moving forward.
It’s when times are most difficult that you deserve to stop and celebrate the good things, reset your intentions, share gratitude and make a plan to become the version of yourself, your team and your organization that you put out in the world.
Wherever we may be in our journeys and whatever the past year dropped on our doorstep, the new year is a blank slate for our personal and professional lives.
And, if we can write any message we want on that blank slate—it should definitely be a positive one.
What are some ways you can share your gratitude and reset your intentions this season?
Jason V. Barger is a globally celebrated keynote speaker, leadership coach and author of Thermostat Cultures, Step Back from the Baggage Claim and ReMember. He is founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, a Columbus-based company that works with businesses and organizations worldwide. Connect via email at jason@JasonVBarger.com or on social media at @JasonVBarger.
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