As we spend time finalizing gifts for the holidays, I got to thinking about seven gifts we should imagine are wrapped up under the tree. Gifts we probably already have, but sometimes forget about in the hustle and bustle of a hectic holiday.

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1 . The Year that Was

If you’re listening to this, you lived through 2020. And I don’t think there is anyone’s life that wasn’t touched with some kind of change or difficulty, whether that was direct or indirect. But I think the best way to look at the year that was, is to consider the lessons that came out of it. We all learned a lot. What we could handle. When we needed a break. What things needed to change in our life. Some of us were pushed to make those changes and we wouldn’t have made them without the struggles we encountered in 2020. Some of us felt validation for choices we had already made. Some of us got perspective. Some of us learned how much we take for granted. 

Homework: What is one thing that 2020 taught you?

2 . Opportunity

I know there is a whole mainstream world out there that's screaming that life is hard and life is tough and nothing turns out and everything is horrible. But I kid you not if your great-great-great grandparents were here, they'd laugh at us for complaining about some of the things we complain about, for focusing on some of the things we focus on, and for our inability to see the opportunities we have that we absolutely take for granted. The ease in which we can do things that were an absolute impossibility for them. A lot of people were frustrated that they had to work from home, but had that opportunity not been available during the various lockdown periods instituted this year, it meant a lot of people simply wouldn't have had work. 

Something to point out here is there are many opportunities available, but it doesn't mean they will just drop in your lap and it doesn't mean they aren't work. Oftentimes when I bring up there are many opportunities available, someone will say "oh really, what about..." Opportunity means having eyes to see what's out there. To dig through the cant's and won'ts and shouldn'ts and it's hards to see what could be possible. Starting a business is hard, but there are tools today we didn't have 50 years ago. Starting a homestead is definitely work, but there are ways to make it happen that don't require 250 acres of land. Going back to school is a commitment, but you can do it from the comfort of your home now. That wasn't available when I was in college. Connecting with like-minded people who happen to live faraway from you takes time, but it doesn't necessarily require getting on a plane anymore. You just turn on your computer. Spending the day reading doesn't even require leaving your house anymore to find a bookstore or a library. You can just one-click a button and send a book to your Kindle. Have you ever thought about how insane that is?

Homework: Are there opportunities in front of you that you need to look in to? What are they?

3. Peace

That cup of coffee in the quiet morning. Maybe for you it’s something else. But those few moments. Maybe it's knowing you're working towards removing yourself from the noise of the world. Maybe it's understanding how to have peace within the noise of the world. Maybe it's knowing that the life you've built isn't centered in chaos.

Homework: How do you find peace? 

4. Gratitude

Living with a spirit of gratitude makes you see the world differently. And I don't think that living with a spirit of gratitude means ignoring the reality of things that are happening around you, and the unfortunate thing is that's often how "gratitude",