Holiday Survivor: Small Steps are Best

I want to maintain a healthy weight over the holidays. I want to hold an open house. I want to mail holiday letters early. I want to enjoy the family gathering at Aunt Tillie’s house. These sound like great goals. They fit within my top priorities and support my core holiday values. What could be wrong with this picture?

All of these goals are large. They are vague. They encompass a timeframe a month or more in length. They describe outcomes. These goals are good intentions that point in the right direction, but they will not pave the road to happy holidays. A plan for success calls for setting goals that are small and specific, fit within the coming week, and identify actions we take to move toward desired outcomes. Our long-term vision of happiness must be broken down into steps that are do-able.

Many of us worry about chubbing-up over the holidays. I want to maintain my current weight, and may dream of dropping another pound or two. What will I do this week to support that outcome? First, I will check my calendar for social occasions centered on food. (Aren’t they all, this time of year?) I will envision the day of the holiday lunch in detail. I’ll plan what to eat that morning for breakfast, what to snack on mid-morning, and what I will have in the evening—emphasizing healthy, low-calorie options for most of the day. I will then decide how to manage the lunch itself, including beverage, main course, dessert. If I need to buy fruit or oatmeal or a chicken breast the weekend before, I will plan those actions as well. I will make and follow a checklist for taking the steps I have planned.

We certainly don’t want to approach every aspect of holiday life with the level of detail described above. Many of us hold a core value of celebrating in the moment, without all the structure and discipline we strive for the rest of the year. On the other hand, outcomes tied to core values may be worth the effort of detailed planning.

If I want to enjoy Aunt Tillie’s family gathering, what will it take to deal with thorny relationship issues differently this time? What steps can I take to improve the experience? If am stressed by last-minute mailings, it helps to list all the steps—write the letter, make copies, print photos, buy envelopes, order return-address labels, get stamps, update the address book, and schedule several chunks of time to writing personal messages, folding, stuffing, and licking. If I want to finish early, how do I define early, and what do I do when?

What small steps will you take next week, toward holiday outcomes that mean the most to you?

Until the next time, go well.

Pam