Every week, I open a Brag Basket. This Friday happens to be Christmas, and it’s a great time to share. (That’s what the Brag Basket is for: sharing.)
Take a moment this weekend to introduce yourself or share some good news. Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others’ stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
This particular basket is open from Dec. 25-27, 2009.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell something great about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It’s not an ad; it’s a conversation with friends. So jump in.
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If you visited me earlier in ’09, you’d hear a giant ripping sound. That was the sound of my sense of self and capacity for happiness being torn away from my profession and domestic situation. My brag is, I’ve come out the other side of that process, a better man. It’s a realization some people make early in life, and some never make at all. This TED talk by Dan Gilbert crystalizes what I discovered myself: that one can make one’s own happiness, when necessary. http://bit.ly/6JkonW Enjoy, and HAPPY holidays!
I had a good reminder this Christmas that as hard as it is to turn off the “Buy! Buy! Buy!” sense of frantic guilt, it’s not about the amount of “stuff” given and received. It’s about sharing good times and enjoying your friends and family.
We all know that, but it’s sometimes easier to say it than believe it, especially when the present pile seems small and children look rather disappointed.
A good long pause to remember usually does the trick; I had my moment among the glamorous evaporated milk, stuffing mix and jellied cranberry cans at the grocery store. :)
Merry Christmas, Becky!
I have been reading all the wonderful comments in Brag Basket for some time now. Haven’t always been so sure that I had things to contribute.
Recently, though, I’ve had two revelations/incidents of gratitude. The first? Amazing friends and colleagues who have helped me with creative brainstorming and support around a new venture Bob and I will be launching in the new year. One colleague in particular who is investing her own time (volunteered to do it) to help us think through the initial set of offerings and services.
And the second one? Similar to Rick. A family that is healing and came together at Christmas, all under the same roof, to celebrate the holiday with my dad, who is in the final stages of cancer. The huge smile on his face was the only present I needed this year.
Happy holidays to all.
Becky,
This week, normally spent surrounded by noise and family, has been spent alone. Mother Nature created some time just for me – and snowed me in. Earlier in the week I got mad at a group of people who are planning a conference because I thought they were going about it all wrong. Normally I would have stewed in that anger for a good little while.
Instead, I decided that since 2010 is the year of living into my own greatness I would take a different approach. I, along with another friend, am planning a conference exactly as I would have it go!
It’s amazing how liberating taking control of your future is!
Merry Christmas to you and yours —
@debworks
Greeting everyone!
Great idea Deb! Sometimes we focus on all the negative and with the New Year right around the corner I’m trying to be more positive about things. I’m very excited about our new company and the opportunities that will present itself in the new year!
I recommend we all take some time in the next week and set some goals for the new year. It’s always nice to have something specific to stride for.
Happy Holidays!
Bob Cassin
Fanminder
Becky –
Just wanted to wish you and everyone on the blog Happy Holidays and a great 2010!
Cheers,
Marco
Wonderful comments, everyone. Thank you, and Happy New Year!
I finally plucked up the courage to delete my blog posts. Not the usual type of thing you’de want to pluck up the courage to do. It was about being able to openly admit that my blog, although I enjoyed reading it myself, was infact, what most people would want to call, ‘crap’. Crap because I was not really offering anything of real value to anyone except an inner sellfish desire to want people to see me with a blog.
So the reason why I look at it as courageous is because it took my a while to have the guts to admit to myself that it REALLY was crap and pointless. Simple really so I deleted my blog.
Wasim, it does courage to let go and head in a new direction. Congratulations on making a fresh start.