I considered saying, “Happy
Holidays”. And I don’t think you’d melt if I said, “Merry Christmas”. I thought
about, “Seasons Greetings” but am not quite sure what it means. Sounds a little
Charles Dickensish, which is fine, except that I’m not in 18th
century England,
wearing a tophat in a horse-drawn buggy in fear of the black plague.
So, I’ll say, with as much sincerity I can muster in this communiqué
that I wish you balance. Yeah, I
know, sounds a little lightweight against a backdrop of “Merry Christmas” but
“balance” is - to me - the “hidden clue” inside the well wishing. My reasons?
If we’re to wish “Merriness” or “Joy”, why limit it to this season? That alone creates a little
imbalance, since we want people we care about to always have joy. I am very
thankful we single out this season to be especially
joyful and merry, but no need to drop the well-wishing after the holidays. I’m
not so sure that Jesus - the birthday boy of the season – would’ve wanted that
either.
Thus, in true joy, there is balance. And to get this kicked
off appropriately, I’ll start with something mildly controversial…
Keep reading to see points of “balance” that can help you
maintain joy all year. You won’t read about the first in any greeting cards, the
nightly news, or sappy TV movies. Too bad.
I wish for you an abundant
business. I wish you great reward for your work, and if that means the
horribly capitalistic wish of greater income, so be it. I don’t remember when “profit”
became a four letter word, and last time I checked, those who earn more tend to
educate their children better, give more to charity, and can actually breathe a
bit deeper when not staring at the ceiling on sleepless nights sweating over
payroll.
It’s okay if that made you slightly uneasy. No one needs
reminding that this year wasn’t exactly a breeze. I also believe that having made it through the year qualifies you
as someone who had to dismiss the unimportant, cancel the indulgencies, tighten
up in some rather uncomfortable and unpopular ways and focus on what matters.
The scripture verse about “money is the root of all evil” is
preceded by “the love of” to which none
of us would advocate. Money is also the root of all philanthropy, medical
research, and most family vacations. I wish you abundance in your business. The
second part of this balance is:
I wish you abundance
in your relationships. Earlier this season, I attended the funeral of the
best father-in-law a man could have. Fair, just, honest, reasonable and
generous beyond description. If I say too much about it, I’ll get tearful and
rust my keyboard, but the celebration of
his life was evident because the church overflowed with friends, family,
well-wishers, and hundreds touched by this gentle man. And get this – he was an attorney who practiced law in
the same town long enough to have raised the ire of the “other side”,
politically, legally, socially. But he didn’t. I never and I mean never heard him speak an ill word of
another, nor another of him, in any setting. It was the most peaceful assemblage
of attorneys outside of a group portrait. There is a mark of a man evident in
who and how many would attend his funeral.
(Personally, I’m expecting hecklers at mine. I may arrange
them.)
Your relationships with your family, your God, your friends,
and your customers are – when you get down to it – all that matters. But
there’s one relationship I left out, and the last of my wish toward balance is:
I wish you abundant knowledge
of yourself. I know, that may sound all ‘new-agey’ or like eastern
metaphysical hype, yet, how can you honestly
know and love others without knowing yourself?
It’s like asking you to give something you don’t yet fully
possess. Part of this “knowledge” in a practical sense is to just listen.
Listen to inner conversation (is it happy or hostile?), listen to the core
motivation for why you do certain
things. Listen to your inner reactions. An education in itself. And lastly,
what does your voice tell you that would
truly make you happy? Some say that’s God speaking, some say the Holy
Spirit, some say your conscience. But regardless, that voice is in there for a
reason.
Einstein said he could find out the motivations and
character of a person by asking one question, “Do you see the world as friendly or hostile?” (Editor’s Note: Do
not ask yourself this while in a line at a fast-food restaurant.)
In all this – and I’m about to get radical – you’ve got to be quiet. You’ve got to
turn off your cell phone, email, Duck Dynasty, your radio, your iPhone,
Android, et al, and stuff a sock in any overly chatty bystanders. You’ve got to
go somewhere, and be quiet.
We’ve recently moved from where I have lived my life and
raised my children, to a lake about 45 minutes away. I’d wondered about this
commute. My sister (who’d done similarly years ago) remarked, “You’ll be amazed
what happens when you actually have time to think your own thoughts.” She was
right.
You can’t listen if there’s nothing but noise and
distraction. I encourage you to take some time during the Holidays, with no
agenda, no schedule, no partner, a silent phone, and listen. The ‘you’ that you
come to know would like to get a word in edgewise. I wish you the beginning of
abundant knowledge of yourself.
May you have health and prosperity. Share what you know…
without boasting. Be an encourager… without criticism. Laugh loud and hard…
without getting thrown out of the restaurant. Merry Christmas to you all.
Adams Hudson
Gifts for You:
We’ve had a great year and I hope you have,
too. Many changes happened at Hudson, Ink: new team members, new programs, even
a brand new member’s site. We’ve been blessed beyond belief.
To share our thanks with everyone, we put
together a bundle of marketing gifts for you. They’re yours – no catches, no strings, no fine print,
except this one – Santa has only budgeted for 300 contractors to receive the gifts. (Even Santa has to
tighten that big belt eventually!) This notice went to around 4,000
contractors.
Simply go to www.ContractorHolidays.com and claim your NO-COST gifts.
