The shadow of Covid-19 will influence how Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated for many of us this year. In times of trials, especially prolonged experiences like we’ve had with Covid-19, it is easy to focus on what we don’t have. It’s healthy to acknowledge loss so don’t deny or stuff those feelings. At the same time I encourage you to approach this holiday season with an intentional mindset. Here are some simple things to guide you:

Show Up – In many cases we make a difference just by showing up. It’s easy to forget that you are making a difference in someone’s life. Hopefully you are showing up as the best version of yourself as you step into each day. This is key to building a healthy family, business, work team, church or any other endeavor.

Which leads to the next point:

Focus on others – when you do show up consider how you can help the other person in some way. A kind word of encouragement, just asking how are YOU doing? Leave them remembering how you made them feel more positive and hopeful. So reach out to others. Let them know how important they are to you. Send a note of encouragement.

In order to do this you will need to:

Develop yourself – seek to grow a little bit more each day in your mindset, maturity, and skills. Whether it’s maintaining good habits and boundaries or addressing an area for growth, make it a goal to be the best version of yourself as you do show up and focus on others.

Finally:

Be thankful – I don’t know about you but often I can get caught up in thinking about “what’s next” and trying to bridge the gap between where I am and where I want to be that I miss this moment. When I do that it creates an underlying feeling of discontent, like I’m missing something. Instead of anxiously scanning the horizon, God has encouraged me to live the moments, live each day. To enjoy His presence, sounds of nature, laughter of children, to reflect on the people I have helped.

For example, I just received two notes today. The first is from a man who achieved a major milestone in getting his first book published on Amazon. He wrote, “Thank you for all your help and assistance in getting this to the finish line! You played a major role in this!!” The second was from a woman who just received her professional coaching certification and wrote, “Thank you for your patience and perseverance with me over the last 5 months. Thank you for seeing potential in me to be a great coach and for your encouragement along the way. Thank you for investing in me!”

In order to get those type of notes, you and I must practice the points mentioned above. Try it out! Use these simple ideas this Thanksgiving and Christmas to sow seeds into the lives of others and then, in January, reflect on the good you have sown into the lives of others.

Feel free to share what you are thankful for in the comments section below.