Seasons Greetings!

Because it’s so important, and because most of us are so unused to this concept, I am repeating my reminder to take a moment (or two) and acknowledge your personal achievements and private victories throughout the past year. It’s incredibly valuable to recognize and appreciate your own accomplishments! Pause to enjoy them and let yourself feel the sense of satisfaction. Either stop right now for a “self-appreciation break” or look at your calendar and schedule an appointment with yourself to dedicate a block of time to this exercise.

Leaders will also want to conduct this practice with their teams and their organization. It will deepen your capacity to realign with your values and priorties and refuel you for meeting new challenges. Please don’t neglect this important step in the cycle of achievement. You earned it! And please let me know the results of your personal or organizational “accomplishments audit.”

Today, December 21st, is Winter Solstice, the beginning of Winter in the Northern hemisphere. It is fascinating to me partly because it has been observed throughout millennia and around the world in virtually every culture. Different meanings and traditions have evolved, but it’s noteworthy for its universal place in our collective human history. For me, it’s a time to observe the return of the light, as the days begin to gradually lengthen, and to reflect on light as a metaphor for insight, awareness, and clarity. What does this time mean to you?

Wishing you Happy Holidays, and please, let your light shine!

Peace at Work

We all want Peace on Earth, and the place to start is with what’s closest to us: ourselves, our families, and our places of work, where we spend 60% of our time. In the workplace, we can practice compassion, kindness, understanding, and patience. We can move away from gossip, making assumptions, hasty judgments, and blaming. If trends and fads can “go viral,” how about peace?

Let’s all do our part for peace.

Remember… THINK LOCAL, SHOP LOCAL, BUY LOCAL

FOR EVERY DOLLAR spent at a local business, 45 cents is reinvested locally. For every dollar spent at a corporate chain, only 15 cents is reinvested locally. Focusing our economic activity locally creates local jobs and contributes to the health of our own community. Shopping locally and doing business with locally owned companies is a very important act of economic responsibility. It’s something we each can do individually. Our own friends, neighbors and families benefit, and we can play a valuable role in supporting this remarkable place we are fortunate to call home. For more information about local companies and organizations, how you can be a part of supporting local businesses and the difference it makes, visit the website of GoLocal Sonoma County.