So the year is wrapping up, and we are about to go into 2013. Are you like me, wondering how the year went by so fast? Wow, this year flew by.
This year, we at NLP.com celebrated our 30th year in business! I have been with the company for 20 years. I’ve run it for 15 years and owned it for 10. I have been with my Kumu Etua Lopes for 10 years this year (15 if you include drumming at our Huna workshop). My son became a teenager and my daughter turned 6 (she is hitting the modeling phase). And, my wife and I made our 10-year anniversary (I think that is the most important)!
Overall, it has been a very big year. So many milestones personally and professionally. My family also lost a few things this year including our beloved dog Brewster. And so while there has been celebration, there has also been loss.
I find that towards the end of the year, it is nice to review what has been accomplished and what has been pushed aside. I am not big on New Year’s resolutions, because I believe they should be done all year round (but maybe that is another blog…). I do believe in looking at what results you have achieved and determining where you need to make changes to achieve the things you want. The end of year seems like a good time to do that.
Sacrifice
I recently held an online Huna class for my advanced haumana (students) and we talked about sacrifice. That is when you want to achieve something, you need to give other things up. For example, while writing this blog, I am not spending time with my daughter, who is in our room watching Finding Nemo. When I worked out 30 minutes ago, I had to give up doing things like answering emails, and so on.
We all make sacrifices with work and with home. I traveled / trained for 193 days this year. (And, yes I did count that for this blog.) While I was gone, I did not see my children nor was I able to do things with them that most parents do. However, in the sacrifice, I am able to teach and share NLP and Huna. Now I am home and I am able to spend 6 weeks with my children. In June of next year, I will spend a full month with them. And the sacrifice is that I won’t be teaching or training.
When I am teaching, I focus on that, knowing I am giving something up. And right now, the time I am going to spend with my family is not spent thinking about what I could be doing on stage teaching.
When you are aware of what you are giving up and you are pono (right) with it, you are able to be free of the baggage that so many carry. And yet, when the tide changes and it is time to be with family, I have to be willing to sacrifice things to ensure I receive the most out of the time.
I am going to take my own advice and be present with my family this holiday season. This will be my last blog post for 2012, and while we may link a few blogs from my Psychology Today or Huffington Post, I will not be doing any more until the New Year.
I hope all of you that read this blog also do something this holiday season to connect with your family and loved ones in a way that fulfills you on your path.
Thank you all who have subscribed, and thank you for making this blog possible! Have a wonderful holiday with your family! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Mahalo,
Matt
P.S.~ Attending one of my live NLP training events is a great way to kick off 2013. Check out the upcoming dates and cities I’ll be in next at www.NLP.com/1
I’d love to meet you there.
Photo by: MSVG
