Give gifts that may enhance your mind, body and spirit

The holiday season is in full swing and each week the stores are getting increasingly full of folks seeking what they hope will be the right gift for their loved ones. I certainly have done my share of thinking about what gift will suit someone and what if they don’t like it? Thank God I’ve gotten over that! I’ve concluded that nothing will happen to me if they don’t like what I give them.

In the midst of all the holiday festivities I think we often forget to think outside the box about gift giving. No, I’m not talking about embracing giving someone a gift certificate to sleep in a zoo for the night or taking lessons on how to walk on water. I’m thinking about gifts that may enhance your mind/body and spirit. Concepts that you can’t buy, but can access by developing your interior landscape better known as your mind. In the busy world we live in, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to spend time enhancing their own development. What makes this exploration even more difficult are the myriad of ads that offer up ways one can be fit, fabulous, sexy, healthy, happy, smart and able to do anything and everything if you buy the right product.

I have gone in that direction over the years and as a result have accumulated a lot of supplements and potions that I thought would improve me on many levels. However, those products are merely band aids that are often temporary solutions. There are far better ways to enhance our lives, but they take an effort. The following are some gifts I suggest you give yourself this season : 1.If you don’t have an opinion on something, don’t worry about it. This has been a tough one for me to learn. I love to have an opinion and I’m sure it’s driven my kids nuts and my partner. I have been practicing saying “I don’t know”, or “Oh, well, what can you do”. I also carry duct tape in case my lips start moving in the wrong direction. 2. Try to find time to be still. Our brains are so full of stuff these days. Information assaults us throughout the day as well as noise everywhere you go. It has become increasingly difficult to find a place where there is no noise. Stillness helps your brain to have a vacation from chaos. 3. Make sure your life has something that helps you to radiate enthusiasm and joy. If our days our riddled with feelings of spiritual malaise it becomes a chore to face the day. There is nothing more exciting than having a passion for something. It allows you feel hopeful and invested in not getting jaded and cynical.

The above suggestions take patience and consistency to make a difference. More importantly they are gifts that keep on giving and can also increase peace and harmony in those around us.