Are you ready?
Christmas is wonderful.
Ready. Set. Go.
How well do you really know yourself? This is the question we are going to explore today. Some of the benefits of an intimate knowledge of self are less inner conflict, less conflict with others, compassion for others, fulfillment, joy, self-control, resistance to social pressures, and better life choices. Number 12 is get to know yourself. Both Plato and Socrates employed the phrase know thyself. It is an invitation to self-exploration, but it is often met with a vagueness that leaves people not knowing where to start or a narrowness that leaves people with a narrow sense of self. For example, it's great to know your strengths, but it isn't enough. So today, we are going to identify five specific ways to get to know yourself. Number 1, values. What are your values? Without a clear sense of our values, our lives begin to drift. Number 2, strengths and weaknesses. Most people are delighted to look at their strengths but actively avoid their weaknesses, and yet, it is often our weaknesses that hold the key to our bigger and better futures. Number 3, temperament and personality. Take a personality assessment. Read the assessment that your answers generate. Are they 100% accurate? No. Are they surprisingly insightful? Probably. Do they provide a great starting point for getting to know yourself? Absolutely. Number 4, hopes and dreams. We are driven by our dreams, consciously and unconsciously. What are your dreams? What are you doing about them? Are you pursuing them or neglecting them? Your dreams are your dreams for a reason. And number 5, motive. Observe yourself. Observe your motives. Ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?" There is a reason motive plays such an important role in the investigation of crimes. Motive reveals the light and darkness of the human heart. It is one of the fastest ways to know yourself if you can be brutally honest with yourself. The key is to realize our motive is almost never singular. We often have many entangled motives for any single decision or action. As we journey toward Christmas, it's important to ask, what made Christmas necessary? The answer is messy and difficult to face. Our darkness made the light of Christmas necessary. How well do you know your own darkness, not just the dark things you have done but also and perhaps more importantly, the dark things you are capable of? You may never do them, but the mere fact that you are capable of them is important knowledge about self. Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying, "I would never do that"? This statement is almost never true. Given the same circumstances, the same mental disposition, the same fears or desperation, the same education and upbringing, you might find yourself doing exactly the same thing or worse. It's easy to know your goodness and strengths. But real self-knowledge often lies in getting to know our own darkness. But from this more complete sense of self will emerge a less judgmental, more accepting person whose heart is full of empathy and compassion for other people in their struggles. This Christmas, get to know yourself and the role you played in making Christmas necessary.
Are you feeling inspired? That's great. But we're not done yet.
It's not easy to have a great Christmas in a world where everyone is striving for what isn't worth having. Welcome back to 28 obstacles that will prevent you from having your best Christmas ever. Obstacle number 12 is all the rushing around. Slow down. All the rushing around is a direct impediment to having your best Christmas ever. How do you know if you are moving too fast? If you wouldn't notice the kiss of a snowflake on your cheek, you're probably moving too fast. Speed increases the chances of collisions and accidents. Not a good idea when you're driving and even more true when it comes to your life. Speed increases the chances that you will hurt yourself and hurt other people. Slow down as Christmas approaches. Make an active and intentional effort to slow your role and be present to who and what is around you and what is happening within you. But remember, find your joy. Guard your joy. Follow your joy, not just happiness. It seems our culture has confused happiness with comfort. And following comfort will lead you to misery. Find your joy. Cherish your joy. Guard your joy and follow your joy.
What if I told you there was one thing that would absolutely and completely fill your life with joy? What if I told you there was one thing that would prevent stress, anxiety, and burnout, that would transform your relationships, that would eliminate busy from your life, that would give you clarity, expand your capacity to love and be loved? Just one thing. It's time to discover that one thing. It's time to slow down to the speed of joy. Right now, when you become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador, we will send you a free copy of Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. So click the button below and join today.
Have a great day.
