The Season & Reason for Giving with Gratitude!

 About the Author:  Kate Olson, CPC, CHt, is a Life Coach, Integrative Master Hypnotherapist, EFT & NLP Master Practitioner & Trainer and Reiki Master located in Seattle, Northern Lights Life Coaching www.northernlightscoaching.net & Embrace Change Hypnosis & NLP
www.embracechangehypnosis.com. She offers workshops & classes, as well as, individual and group coaching. Her emphasis is on assisting clients in finding Path, Purpose and Peace. Kate focuses on integration of mind, body, spirit wellness. It is her mission to help clients find joy through connection, creative expression and change facilitation. She is passionate about creativity, travel, personal growth and enjoying life. She has another  wellness-related business offering Salt Therapy, Salt Works Saltariums. Salt Therapy offers an all natural treatment solution for respiratory and skin problems.​ All three businesses operate as Dba's under Total Well Resources, LLC.  She is also a radio show host on Contact Talk   Radio, www.ctrnetwork.com/embracechange hosting "Embrace Change with Kate & Michelle".  She is a       speaker, writer and event facilitator.  

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       This is the season for giving and receiving as a tradition and a celebration. It is a magical time and also, a time that is filled with a great deal of commercialism, some think "greed", perhaps fake sentiments and misplaced or false intentions. A lot of people think the season has lost it's true meaning and feel like they would just like to forget about the whole thing or go back to times from the past.  Other people try to capture some of what has been lost by going way overboard and putting financial and emotional stress on themselves and their families. Of course, we cannot go back to the past and our control over what is happening in the world around us is very limited.  What can we do then, to make this season and maybe, the rest of our year, the beautiful expression of giving and celebration of life that we wish and expect it to be?
     In giving this question considerable thought, I have come to some conclusions. We must start with an attitude of gratitude, even in our own giving. I feel so blessed and grateful to be able to experience giving. It is truly a wonderful and empowering feeling to be able to give to another. In this feeling you realize you have enough, you feel good and sometimes you even get the appreciation of gratitude back from another. This is so affirming not only of own worthiness, but also of the goodness in our world and humanity itself. So, they say that it is, “more blessed to give than to receive” and I believe that is true.

​      Receiving is, of course, so much easier to understand from a standpoint of gratitude. However, it is important to feel a sense of gratitude that goes to the core of our being. That gratitude does not center on appreciation for the desired or desirable item or intangible gift we are receiving, but for the loving sentiments and thoughts behind it. I came to realize this many years ago and I am reminded of it often. I am grateful for everything that I receive whether it is something I want, have asked for, or it is clearly something that I do not want. For years, I received Christmas gifts from an older relative that, well -- I clearly had no use for or desire to possess. She would purchase them at the Dollar Store or perhaps, Good Will and some I would even guess were old items she had from years past. At first, I wondered why she felt compelled to give these items. When I noticed how much it meant to her to give these gifts, I could not help appreciating and treasuring them. She has since passed and I will have to say I miss these gifts that were given out of the pure joy to give. I try to receive every gift in this spirit these days. I try to feel grateful not for what I have received, but for the act of giving itself. It is always a beautiful feeling.
       For me this season is filled with those beautiful, warm and empowering feelings of gratitude both in giving and receiving and, there in, lies the magic of this amazing holiday season! I really don’t think about the commercialism, fakeness or inappropriateness some perceive at all. I am too busy thinking of what beautiful gifts will put a smile on the faces of family and friends and being ever grateful that there are people who think enough of me to want to put a smile on my face! I wish you a year of gratitude in 2018!