We are fast approaching the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
It's easy to get caught up in the festivities and frivolities that accompany this time of year so that the season whirls by in a blur.
You might feel almost breathless until its all behind you and you can once again take time for a deep breath.
I can remember feeling this way for many years - pulled in many different directions to get everything done with the gift buying and wrapping, extra cooking and baking, decorating, and the parties and activities that emerged as special holiday tributes.
All this can be fun and exciting, but also draining on us, our budgets and our life.
So often we spend more money than we should, and all those exorbitant holiday feasts and party menus bring negative results for our health and waistline.
Many individuals site that after the bustling holidays are over they often feel depressed.
Over the years, I began to see things differently as I looked deeper into what was really important during the holiday season, or life for that matter.
So much emphasis is placed on buying the perfect gifts, spending lots of money - perhaps even exceeding our means, and eating beyond our normal capacity as well as eating many high calorie, unhealthy treats.
It seemed that the focus was often on creating a particular image - making a particular impression.
All of the festivities of the holidays are great to experience.
Family get-togethers can be wonderful times, or perhaps not so wonderful.
Holidays generally get people into a festive mood and you can feel the excitement in the air.
But all the festivities are soon over; life resumes.
I realized after some time that the emptiness I felt (and I imagine others feel) when all the celebrating was behind me, was because I was focused on externals, the temporary.
You see, all these illusions of valuables that we put so much emphasis on really have no lasting worth.
The decorations are tossed or stored, the gifts are opened and either used or taken back, the food has been eaten, and family and friends have returned home.
A few weeks after one holiday season, I found myself in the middle of a "pity party" just for me.
I recall sitting on the floor cross-legged in my home, with tears flowing, asking God why life was such a struggle.
I reminded God how hard I was working, that I was on purpose, that I was following my Divine guidance, but I was struggling financially.
I also could see that all the temporary trappings of the holidays or even in life itself, no longer satisfied me even for a little while.
So I was complaining to God, wanting to see and feel the abundance I had heard about so often; I wanted life easier with more riches.
Perhaps you've been in this place before, or maybe you are there now.
It isn't a fun place to be - there's an emptiness that cannot be filled no matter what you achieve, experience or purchase in this world.
And it keeps you thinking and creating from a space of lack, which is simply fear.
I hated the way I felt until this moment when God and the angels showed me what I already had.
As I was sitting there in the midst of my pity party, a vision swept through my mind of my blessings and gifts.
My bank account wasn't shown to me nor was my checkbook.
What I envisioned was the abundance already in my life that I wasn't seeing - my five wonderful children, my grandchildren, a man who loved me, and my friends - some who had been around for quite a while and others who were new in my life, that I had a house even though I desired a different one, my abilities, the books I had written, that I was a masterpiece designed by the Creator of the universe, and even the challenges that had brought me to where I was at that moment.
In that moment I saw clearly - that I was rich beyond measure, that I already was magnificently abundant with wealth that could never be measured by the standards of this world.
Look at your family - children, spouse, parents, family.
They bless your life.
Your children are your greatest gifts in this world.
However, they are on loan.
They are in your life to teach you lessons and for you to teach them; they are not your possession.
Are you still trying to hold onto them and control their lives even though they are grown? Each child is on his/her own journey and deserves the freedom to become who they are meant to be.
The privilege of having them should bring you great joy, even if their behavior doesn't match yours.
Your parents, with all their mistakes, most likely love you deeply.
You may not agree with them and they may not understand you, but they are still a blessing.
After all, they took care of you for many years and provided you with your needs - that is a gift! If they were not there for you, someone else took their place; it is a place of honor.
If you are experiencing friction with one or more of your parents, let go of any negativity and allow them to be themselves even if you don't like it.
This frees you and removes the friction when you love unconditionally just as God loves you.
If you are married or in a committed relationship, you are blessed and have much for which to be grateful.
If the relationship no longer serves your highest good and it's time to move on, know that you have gained much from that relationship.
You didn't waste those years together; there was a reason for this relationship and you fulfilled a spiritual contract.
Think about your friends.
Whether you have one or a hundred and one, you are blessed with that friendship(s).
We gravitate to people who are like-minded, but sometimes even they disappoint us.
Understand this - the only reason they disappoint you is because you have expectations.
Let those expectations go and the friendship becomes better.
Love that friend for who they are, not what they do.
What are your gifts? Have you written a book or are words of wisdom inside of you waiting to be put on paper? Are you good in business, or do you manage an office well? Perhaps you're a teacher who loves your work.
Are you a great listener? Do you organize efficiently? Do you draw, paint, sew, design and make jewelry or crafts? Can you sing, dance or play an instrument? Look back over the last few months or years of your life and notice your gifts, for they are many.
Did you learn how to do something new and surprise even yourself? These inner manifestations of who you are can never be taken from you.
They were inborn when you entered this lifetime.
You are rich! Many individuals do not see their own value and worth.
Know this: You were created by the Creator of the universe, and each one of you reading these words is a masterpiece.
Each one of you is unique and magnificent.
Once you can understand this concept you begin to understand how worthwhile you are.
We are all part of each other since we were all created by the same Creator.
Energy is what connects us because we are made from the energy of love.
This in itself is our greatest wealth.
Do you own your own home? If not, do you have a roof over your head? I'm willing to bet that you enjoy plenty of food and have a closet with many clothes in it.
Most likely you have a car and get to drive wherever you want to go.
And I imagine you have many things around you that make your life more enjoyable - the latest technologies provided for your convenience.
Have you experienced challenges in your life? Perhaps you're experiencing one now.
Most people don't realize that those challenges are incredible gifts because they make you stronger and help you grow.
I experienced many challenges over the years - a long, unhappy marriage; illness; an unethical business partner; near bankruptcy - but I survived and became so much stronger and wiser.
All that I learned from those challenges allowed me to be who I am today and help many people.
Without the experiences, I wouldn't be doing what I am presently doing.
As I look back over these challenges and the gifts in them, I realize anew how rich I am for the experiences and resulting growth of my spirit.
Society thinks wealth is measured by worldly goods - how much money is in your bank account and what your purchasing power is.
Yet money can be here one day and gone the next.
Yes, it takes money (wealth) to live comfortably in this world, and we deserve to have it, but money is an external and should not be the true measure of wealth.
A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself these questions.
"What raises me to a higher level of awareness?" Is it the money and material acquisitions of this world, or the inborn qualities that will go on forever? Or ask "What can I take with me when I depart from this world?" Can you take your money, house, car, material possessions? We know we cannot take those with us - we won't need them when we leave this earth.
But you will take the love in your heart, the abilities you possess, the strength you have grown into, and you will leave behind the good you have done for others that came from love.
These are the true riches of this life, ones that never fade away.
So as you focus on the upcoming holidays and all that accompanies them, spend some time in introspect, seeing your true wealth.
Remember the gifts you already possess and continually be grateful for them.
Know you are wealthy beyond what you could ever imagine if you simply allow yourself to see it.
The things that matter most are already yours.
The amazing thing is this: As you focus on what you already have and are truly grateful for it - all the good that is presently in your life - the universe automatically brings you more of the same.
It's a win/win!