While the holidays are intended to be a wonderful time of the year, in far too many cases they’re not for a lot of people. Why is that? We believe that it’s because some of us allow other people’s behaviors to get us down. Unfortunately, some people have horrible attitudes during the holidays. Some can be downright mean, rude, and inconsiderate. And when we allow other people’s negative words and behaviors to get us down, we give them control over how we think and how we feel.

We can get down on ourselves trying, in vain, to meet the unrealistic demands and “expectations” of others. No matter what we do, it doesn’t seem to be “good enough” for some people—no matter how much we’ve gone out of our way. Some people complain about just about everything. Not only re some of our friends and co-workers infected with this illness, some of our family members are as well.

The reality is that we simply have no control over how other people think or what they might say or do. But, what we do have control over is ourselves. We know our hearts and can take comfort in the fact that what we have given was a sincere and genuine expression of love and caring. How the other person chooses to respond to our gift is on them—not us.

So, during this holiday season, as well as throughout the year, live from your heart. Life works so much better when you do. Don’t allow others to take away your joy because they haven’t yet discovered the real secret to a happy life.

You know the secret. Live from a loving heart.

Most of us already have more than enough to handle just managing our daily lives. So, when we add the demands of the holiday season, it can be stressful and downright overwhelming. What was intended to be a time of joyfulness and celebration can become a real burden. And before we know it, not only are we unhappy but we make others around us unhappy too.

We’re reminded of a father who asked his son what he wanted as a holiday gift. To his surprise, the son responded, nothing! Don’t get me anything! The father asked why, and his son’s response surprised him. “I don’t want you to get me anything because all you do is to gripe and complain. You gripe about having to go shopping and not finding a parking space, about how far you had to walk to the mall entrance, about having to deal with all the shoppers and salespeople, about how much you had to spend, and on and on. I’d just prefer that you didn’t buy me anything then I won’t have to hear you complain.” “Am I really that bad,” the father asked. “Yes!” his son replied.

Remember that your thoughts, whether conscious or unconscious, determines your mood and what you do. Dwell on thinking negatively and you’re likely to have a miserable holiday season and you’ll probably spoil it for those around you. We’re certain that this is not your intent, so, you’ll need to check yourself.

One of the best ways to really enjoy the holidays is to maintain a positive mental attitude. Think positive and it will lift your mood and inspire those around you.

There is so much to enjoy during the holidays. Stay positive and take in and share it with others.

It is unfortunate but true that many of us make unrealistic demands on ourselves and others. When we set our expectations extremely high and then stress ourselves out by demanding that we achieve them, we can truly make our lives miserable. And, when we are so uptight trying desperately and frantically to meet our own self imposed demands, we tend to get uptight and short tempered with the people around us. A good clue is to notice that when other people see you coming, they get out of your way!

The holidays are filled with expectations. We expect certain things from other people and they expect certain things from us. Now, if either fails to meet those expectations, people are hurt, angry, disappointed, don’t feel cared about, unloved, etc.

Wouldn’t it be better if all of us were more realistic? What if we lowered the demands we make on ourselves and the expectations we have of others? We’d be a lot better off if we were more realistic about what we can and cannot do during this holiday season and what others can and cannot do.

We really think it’s important to take a realistic look at what you can do to avoid stressing yourself out. Chill out! Relax! Be realistic and enjoy the season!