Give Up for Christmas

Please forgive my Christian bias in this note. I grew up in a Christian tradition, and the Bible stories, folk tales, and Christmas carols are indelibly etched into my psyche. You might want to think of this more as the writings of, as the former UU Minister, Tom Ahlburn, used to say, a BudeoChristian.

Christmas Time is here and Christmas is just a week away. Aren’t you excited?!

Yes, Christmas time is a time of Giving. We are encouraged to remember all those dear to us and to share what we have been blessed with; sharing with family, with friends, and with strangers. Even, if we are so inclined, to share with those we may not feel deep affection for. After all, it is Christmas. (You understand what that means, right?)

Well, this year, I am encouraging you to Give -Up for Christmas. Here is a Un-gift List that you can pick from to make your Holiday Season happier.

15 Things You Need to Give Up to Be Happy, posted by the World Observer Online, April 25, 2012

1. Give up your need to always be right.
   Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind? – Wayne Dyer
2. Give up your need for control.
   By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. When you try and try, the world is beyond winning. – Lao Tzu
3. Give up on blaming others [and yourself].
   A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame someone else.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.
   The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.
5. Give up your limiting beliefs.
   A belief is not an idea held by the mind; it is an ideal that holds the mind. – Elly Roselle
6. Give up complaining.
   You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. – Ziggy
7. Give up the luxury of criticism.
   Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. – Christian D. Larsen
8. Give up your need to impress others.
   Don’t try to impress others. Let them have the fun of impressing you. – James R. Fisher, Jr
9. Give up your resistance to change.
   Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. – Joseph Campbell
10. Give up labels.
    The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about. – Wayne Dyer
11. Give up on your fears.
    The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. – Franklin Delano Roosevelt
12. Give up your excuses.
    99% of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. – George Washington Carver
13. Give up the past.
    Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. – Christian D. Larsen
14. Give up attachment.
    The wise individual doesn’t get too attached to any of life’s pleasures, knowing that wonderful science is hard at work proving that it’s bad for him. – Bill Vaughan
15. Give up living your life to other people is expectations.
    The world is a mirror and reflects back your expectations. What you get is what you see. You create your own reality. – Denis Waitley

Now, I would add my own commentary to some of these ideas to show how they relate to our meditation practices. But that will have to wait for another day.

See if you can pick at least one “Give-Up” for yourself this Holiday Season.