Three steps to thriving in the festive period

It is possible to shape your thinking so that you increase your ability to thrive.

It’s nearly Christmas, and December brings with it an immense sense of potential joy and festive cheer but, for some, potential trepidation. Before Christmas has even arrived, there are projects to complete, deadlines to meet and things you just want to tick off your “to-do” list so that you can hopefully enjoy a relaxing break.

Some sectors see work start to quiet down during the third week of December, while others experience a peak in activity. In either case, motivation can be affected. As well as the practical actions required, the thoughts you may be having around this time of year are key to whether you thrive or struggle through the holidays.

Emotive thoughts in December

The way you think can influence whether you see December through with a sense of optimism or worry. Thoughts and emotions influence one another, so the good news is that you can learn to alter your thinking to support more helpful emotional responses.

Our minds are amazing tools that offer us vast opportunities to engage with the world in the way we choose.

Through social, educational, parental and other conditioning, many of us are not used to thinking as effectively, helpfully or optimistically as we might. Our mental movie is not always rolling in our best interests or giving us the best possible view of what is to come. We often skip important scenes, with the mind racing ahead. That said, it is possible to shape your thinking so that you increase your ability to thrive into the new year.

Changing your thought patterns in three steps

1. Become aware of your natural thinking patterns and unhelpful habits

This requires honesty and patience.

I recommend taking a notebook and investing time in reflecting on your strengths; what’s going well; how you interact, communicate and think; your expectations; what is not working so well; the habits you like; and those you honestly sense would benefit from changing.

To benefit fully from this exercise, it’s necessary to consider your thinking patterns, emotions, responses and behaviours. Identify, for example, any tendency to worry, ruminate excessively, procrastinate, allow distractions or project unhelpful outcomes. Once identified, consider the impact of your thinking on your actions and feelings.

Keep in mind the objective of this exercise: to gain a balanced view of your positive attributes and the areas you would like to develop so that you can thrive.

2. Review one to three key things you want to work on

You must now be willing to consider how you could adapt unhelpful habits and thinking patterns so that you enhance your self-belief and personal growth. For this, you could find helpful videos online, explore personal development books or visit a life coach who can support you on your personal development journey towards your goals.

Your notebook will also begin to resemble a detailed record of who you are, including your achievements and your newly formed thinking patterns and habits.

As you plan how you will do this, ensure that you remain conscious of your objective every step of the way. Losing sight of it can reduce motivation and commitment.

3. Put your plans into action

Having clearly identified how you can begin adapting your habits and thoughts, put what you have learned into action.

Promise yourself that, to thrive and make the coming year even better, you will take consistent action and remain accountable to yourself. Seek to understand your choices and the part they play in leading you towards what you desire at work or in your personal life.

Three steps to thriving

In summary, the three steps are:

1. Honestly reflect on your strengths, achievements, thinking patterns and less helpful habits.
2. Consciously review and understand up to three areas you want to adapt to operate at your best.
3. Take thoughtful, meaningful action to change your behaviours and thinking patterns so that you can thrive.