Sparking Growth & Renewal Through Holiday Cinema

I'm a huge winter and holiday person. Each year, I meticulously build my holiday schedule to include as many holiday-themed sights and sounds as possible between Thanksgiving and Christmas, followed by an end-of-year purge. My annual purging is not just personal, but follows all areas of my life, including my profession. While these two activities have typically been performed independently, this year I combined the lessons learned from holiday movies with purging. Our personal lives translate to our effectiveness and engagement in our professional life. As a result, focusing on our whole self will help in all areas of your life allowing you to be the best version of yourself. 

While many holiday movies are monotonous, many have important underlying themes and messages that are good reminders to us all. One movie this season particularly hit home with me. From my movie viewing, purging and subsequent reflections, I am ending 2023 with the resulting takeaways: 

1. Believe in the Value of Tradition: Traditions ground us and remind us of what is important. In addition to the comfort and security they bring, they strengthen our connections and promote unity. Preparing for traditions builds anticipation and can actually increase enjoyment. Traditions form a fabric of meaning, belonging and continuity. All are important for our soul and growth both personally and professionally. 

2. Say Yes to the Adventure: Adventures can be as simple as new experiences that push us out of our comfort zone, helping us discover strengths and aptitudes that we didn't know existed. Stepping into the unfamiliar opens new perspectives, builds confidence and sparks creative insights and problem-solving abilities. It also keeps the mind sharp and increases our mental flexibility.

3. Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover: As many of us do, I tend to approach new experiences with a plan, an expectation of what I think a new situation will be like. This year's movies reminded me that some of life's greatest gifts are in the unexpected moments found off script. Rather than sizing something up based on the outer packaging or our past experiences, we should strive to open the cover to discover the contents with fresh eyes. Life is not black and white; the gray areas are where discovery lives. Too often our inner critic prematurely labels something as silly, boring, or unworthy before fully exploring it. This can rob us of life's hidden delights waiting to be uncovered if given a fair chance without bias. By leading with inquisitiveness rather than judgment, we can stumble upon unexpected gems. 

4. Make Time to Enjoy the Small Things: In the hustle of daily routines, it's easy to move too fast to appreciate the special moments that cross our path. The wise characters in holiday films remind me to pause and soak in the bits of magic that life offers from small acts of kindness from strangers to delighting in the first snowfall of the season (for me, the cold and snow are huge delights). Next year, I aim to schedule more time for wonder, free of the ongoing torrent of obligations, by purposefully stopping to admire the everyday miracles that add beauty and joy when I consciously make space for them. Life offers free treasures for those moving slowly enough to notice.

5. Perform Work that Serves Your Internal Mission: Holiday protagonists often experience revelation when they realize they have lost sight of their deeper purpose, falling into repetitive motions rather than passionate impact. This sparks pivoting professional efforts to realign with personal truths. I aim to pursue opportunities allowing me to deploy my full range of talents in service of a mission resonating with my spirit. One fueled by innovation, empowerment, or community-building versus prestige. By mindfully matching vocational paths with intrinsic motivations, we tap into the wellspring of knowledge work: The freedom to tackle challenges through self-directed ingenuity. When professional pursuits feel devoid of meaning or starve once-fiery passion, it takes courage to acknowledge change is required. Much like the characters in beloved films fight for authenticity in their most challenging chapter, we must be willing to close disappointing storylines to pen fresh starts aligned with self-defined success.
   

Looking forward to 2024, let's take time to reflect on our values and clear our minds and lives of clutter that no longer brings us joy. Remember to seek purpose-driven work, align professional and personal goals for fulfillment and have the courage to pivot away from unfulfilling situations.