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At this time of year, we’re all being encouraged to slow down. Do this instead.
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Stop. Yes, stop. Especially with Christmas Day on Monday this year, you’ve got every opportunity to get stuff done on Friday afternoon and Saturday. Then slow down on Sunday, and on Christmas Day, just stop. Come to that complete point of no moving.

A good friend and I were talking about gratitude. It’s a great thing to have, but I don’t think you can have gratitude without perspective. You need to be able to reflect, to see the circumstances you’re in to really appreciate them. For instance, we can easily take the people who are most important in our lives for granted because we’re with them so often. Only when we make time to stop other activity and reflect upon what they mean to us can we really recognize how thankful we are to have them in our lives.

When I think about the Christmas story, it helps me reflect on how thankful I am for my family’s circumstances, especially compared to what Mary and Joseph went through! They were ordered to go back to their place of birth, which meant traveling across the country to register for the tax census. And they were traveling without the convenience of modern vehicles! I’ve been reflecting on my many friends who have left California to live somewhere else. They were born in California but now live in New York. Or, like my wife, they were born in California, and now live in Greenville, South Carolina. Imagine getting the decrees saying you need to go back to your place of birth. What a hassle that would be, especially if you are nine months pregnant! We think about flying back home and get frustrated with TSA lines. Imagine being nine months pregnant and traveling by camel to where you were born! When you stop to sit and think about that, it makes you say, “Wow, I’m thankful for my circumstances, right here, right now!”

We simply don’t often take the time to stop and think like this.

To most effectively reflect this Christmas,

1. Stop. Come to a complete point of no activity so you can sit and think.


2. Get comfortable sitting in stillness. Get comfortable doing nothing but thinking about and reflecting on all those things that you are thankful for.


3. Reflect with perspective to be truly grateful. Take the time to think about the people and circumstances that are so wonderful in your life.

There are going to be plenty of things that we can’t change, so there’s no point in getting frustrated. 2024 is right around the corner and will be here soon enough, so don’t worry about that right now. Instead, be still. Stop, and reflect, and be grateful for what you have.

I look forward to bringing you another Distraction-Proof Advisor Idea next year.