The month of December always seems to pass by more quickly than any other on the calendar. Despite my best efforts to not get caught up in the frenetic pace of the holiday season, I find myself seduced by the swirl of speed. There's the shopping and the parties, the endless to-do lists and the end-of-the-year "What will I do next year?" lists. I'll admit I get excited by all the activities, but being buzzed by the speed of time can be utterly exhausting. By the time the 31st arrives, it's no wonder I feel like I'm due for a vacation. I've worn myself out trying to squeeze in as many things as I can not only within a 24 hour period, but before the year comes to an end. If you ever feel like you're the Energizer Bunny on drugs this time of year, you'll appreciate what I'm about to say next.

I slowed down the other day and took the time to watch this sunset.

The last thirty-one days of the year are no different than the first thirty-one or the thirty-one days that happen in the months of March, May, July, August and October. What makes December's thirty-one days appear to zoom on by is our reluctance to surrender to all things slow. Think about this for a moment...How often do you appreciate being stuck in traffic or a long line at the grocery store? Do you always take a full hour for lunch? Do you sit around the dining room table every night and have a sit-down dinner with your spouse and/or family? Modern technology provides us some pretty spectacular things such as quick meals via the microwave and communication-to-go via cellular phones, but these inventions weren't created in the interest of slowing things down, but to speed them up. We are a world hooked on quicker, better and easier and although it's easy to point the finger at the media for hyping us up around the holidays, the only person we can blame for the speed of our lives is ourselves.

The following suggestions are intended for more than when just consuming a meal:

Five Suggestions to Slow Digestion

1) Be aware - Notice what captures your attention. Have a second look and maybe a third.

2) Be mindful - Do one thing at a time. Repeat after me, do one thing at a time.

3) Be curious - Ask open-ended questions and engage in a conversation you haven't had before.

4) Be quiet - Listen more. Talk less. Learn a lot.

5) Be appreciative - Linger in the place of gratitude. Consider how much time you've already been given on this planet.

I really like this month's quote because it's so darn true. "We all have the same amount of time. It's just a matter of what we do with it." A new friend of mine, Matthew Scott recently shared with me another way to look at time. He said, "We all have one year left to live. We just don't know when that year begins." Wow. That certainly slowed me down quite a bit. Time will pass by slow or fast depending on your perspective. How do you want to experience time? If life feels like a rocket ship, remember that you're the one fueling the tank and no one says you have to explore the entire galaxy in a day. Consider being a row boat for the remainder of the year. If you're a speed demon like me, it may seem too slow of a ride at first, but you've got two oars if you feel the need to speed things up. For the rest of this month, I'd just like to float and notice the ripples. I encourage you to do the same. There will be plenty of time to paddle in the New Year.

I mentioned in last month's newsletter that I wasn't sleeping much. I'm working on getting more shut-eye, but until I find a sleep solution I'm making the best use of the creative energy running about my head in the early morning hours. Eight hours of sleep is a good thing, but a great idea is even better and I've had lots of them lately. Even though they tend to keep me up at night, I'm grateful for all the juiciness that's been coursing through my veins. The challenging part to all of my passionate pondering has been trying to figure out which idea(s) to focus on first. Here's what I've decided (so far!) to pay attention to and develop in 2007:

My blog, The Ultimate Yes. It represents the beginnings of my book of the same name as well as the belief I hold near and dear which is; show up, be real and play big in life. How do we do that on a consistent basis? Practice, practice, and more practice. Seriously, how do we find the courage to show the world who we really are without fear of being judged, reprimanded or ridiculed? How do we develop the confidence to tell ourselves and others the truth as we know it and be completely authentic in both our words and our actions? How do we commit to living a big, luscious life every day with no excuses for not doing so? These are just a few of the many questions that my blog and eventual book will address. It's my new mission statement for Playful Spirit, my personal brand and my stand for people on this planet.

My speaking presence. I want to walk my talk of playing big by getting out and about more and making myself known as a motivational speaker and facilitator. That means more workshops and retreats, more networking online and in person and more public speaking events. It's about time to add an Events & Happenings page to my website as well as a Favorite Links. I'll keep you informed of their debut to happen in the first part of the New Year.

My community. I am in final negotiations to write a regular bi-monthly column for the local newspaper where I live part-time. I'm ready to step up and be more connected to and contribute to the community in which I call home. It's a small town with big politics sometime, but I will not let that stop me from writing about the concerns and interests of the people who live here. My friend Karen reminded me the other day of a powerful statement that was written on a card I gave her recently which said, "I am not afraid. I was born to do this." Thanks, Karen and thank you to Joan of Arc as well.

Last, but certainly not least (and on a non-business note) I am paying more attention to my family. Two days ago I made a commitment to my sister to visit her once a month. Thank you, Shannon for speaking your truths to me. I promise I will not fail in my commitment to you. Tonight as I was writing this newsletter, I received a phone call from my mom telling me a family member died. Extremely sad and very shocking news and here I sit, alone in front of my computer, wishing I were in the arms of my loved ones and able to to comfort my cousin who has lost his father. I spoke earlier in this newsletter of the perspective of time and the importance of slowing down. Right now all I can think of is Saturday afternoon which is the next time I'll see my family and wanting this week to pass by quickly. Sigh...

1. Use it to clean your pots and pans.
2. If you have several loaves, build a house with them.
3. Take it camping with you and use it to weigh down the tent.
4. Give it to the cat for a scratching post.
5. Use it to hold up your Christmas tree.

When does time seem to slow down for you?

Do you think it's a matter of doing things more slowly or is it more a mental mindset or a combination of both?

Care to share what these questions stir up in you?

Send me an e-mail. I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.

~Playful Spirit's mission is to inspire people to show up, be real and play big.~