The holidays are pretty magical, especially when you have small children.
The magic of Santa Claus. The magic of the Elf on the Shelf (let me be real here, this Elf on the Shelf business and his reputation for arriving on December 1st can be pretty exhausting. RIGHT?).
But the excitement in kids’ eyes make it so worthwhile.
I especially love the magical stories my kids have.
"I saw the elf wink at me! Nobody believes me, but I saw it and it's true!"
"Last year at Christmas I woke up in the middle of the night because I thought it was morning and I saw Santa putting the presents under the tree!"
The belief in the magic all around them is simply magical. But, as kids get older, mine are now 9 and 12, the magic starts to fade.
My 12-year-old finally admitted to not believing any more (though I’ve known for a couple of years that he didn't) and one of my 9-year-olds keeps telling me the kids at school say none of it is real and she tells them to stuff it (because she isn't ready to stop believing).
I have thought about the business of believing, and the energy kids put into continuing to believe for as long as possible, and how we need to re-embrace that way of looking at the world.
The older we get, the less magic we believe in. We get black and white about things and insist on proof before believing things.
I am working on reinstating my belief in magic.
I am inspired by the love of life and hope and belief in all good things that I see in kids. We see what we want to see. I want to see more magic.
So, I'm letting go and trying not to control all facets of everything in my life. I'm looking for magic and serendipitous opportunities.
And you know what? The more I believe it's going to happen, the more it does happen.
Believing good things are going to come my way and being ready to receive good things have translated into more money, more opportunities, and more happiness.
If I want to look at the black and white reasons for that, I can probably find them in the strategies I implemented and the hard work I put into it all. But, I was working hard before and I had plans and strategies as well and nothing was really working or clicking.
So, I’m choosing to believe it’s the magic instead.
Where can you find a bit of magic in your life and business?