Here’s something you can probably imagine, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas or have kids…
Think of a kid on Christmas morning — before they open presents…or even see them.
How do you think they feel? Bored? Excited? Or do they not feel much of anything at all until they actually open their presents?
Most likely, they’re bouncing off the walls with excitement from the minute they wake up! (That is, if they managed to sleep at all!)
They don’t wait until they actually see their presents until they feel excited. They don’t wait until they open them. They don’t wait until they use the presents (play with the toys, listen to the music, put together the puzzle, or enjoy whatever the present happens to be).
They don’t withhold their excitement or joy until Christmas is in full swing or until it’s done or even until it’s started — they feel excited every step of the way!
What a great way to approach Christmas or any other day…or your entire life!
What a great model: Instead of waiting for the full fruition of (literal or figurative) gifts until you feel excitement, satisfaction, or joy, you can enjoy every step of the way — with full faith that the gifts will show up at exactly the right time!
Most kids wouldn’t wake up on Christmas morning feeling skeptical, thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it” or “I’m not going to feel happy until I’ve got the unwrapped present in my hand” or “There’s no point in getting my hopes up until I actually see the presents; I’ll just be setting myself up for disappointment if Santa didn’t come.”
Sounds silly (and pretty cynical), right? Yet how often do some people (and I’ve fallen into this trap myself on numerous occasions) wait until their hopes or dreams become visible and tangible until they allow themselves to feel the joy of it?
This approach (postponing joy until a gift materializes) has two main drawbacks:
- You rob yourself of most of the fun! After all, the external manifestation or completion of a hope, dream, or gift is usually just a momentary blip compared to all the time leading up to it.
- You make it less likely that the gift will show up at all! The excitement and enthusiasm you feel before a dream materializes actually helps it materialize!
Whether you attribute this to the Law of Attraction or simply to the additional energy, faith, and positivity that comes from enthusiastic expectation, enjoying each step leading up to a manifestation makes it much more likely to manifest — and much more enjoyable when it does!
And this principle also holds true when GIVING gifts!
Think of a time when you’ve thought of the perfect present for someone (for Christmas, birthdays, or any other occasion). Didn’t you feel excited the moment you got the idea? Couldn’t you just imagine — or feel — how happy and excited the recipient (and YOU) would be when they opened this gift? Didn’t you just feel fantastic — even before they opened (and used) the gift? And couldn’t you feel yourself getting more and more excited as the moment of unveiling approached?
Remember this approach all year round — with all your gifts, creations, and manifestations.
- Allow yourself to feel excited the moment you think of something you’d like to give, receive, or create — even if you don’t know exactly what the finished product will look like.
- Enjoy each step of the manifestation process, from inception to growth to completion — rather than waiting until it’s 100% done before you feel joy.
- Have faith that the externals will show up at the perfect time — and feel confident that the process is already underway, even before you can see any external evidence.
There’s a seemingly magical force behind this approach. And whether you call it faith, positivity, or Santa, the result is the same: you experience the joy of giving, receiving, creating, and manifesting. And you enjoy every step of the process — not just when an unwrapped present is in your hand!
Wishing you a happy holiday season and a new year full of magic and joy!
~ Dan
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photo: wckiw
