Originally posted on Return of Kings on December 2, 2014. You can read the original post here: link.
When I was but a wee lad, my father
would often say that every day is Christmas when the holiday season
rolled around. In my youth, I did not understand since there were no
daily presents, no Christmas specials being aired year-round, no tree
that stayed up beyond New Year's, and it was back to school once the
two weeks of winter break were over. It was not until recently that I
truly realize what my father meant, and how this principle applies to
life.
Every Day is Special, and No Day is Special
Some people tell
us to live each day as if it were our last. This conflicts with the
sensible approach of planning for the future, but they do have a
point. We never know when our time will come to leave this plain of
existence, so while we are here, we should make the most of the time
that we do have. Do not wait until the holidays or special days to
show appreciation for your loved ones, but instead show appreciation
through your daily actions.
This also applies
to actions that we would take to show appreciation to ourselves. No,
I am not trying to tell you to treat yourself to a decadent triple
latte like some Sex in the City character or overweight feminist
blogger, but I am encouraging you to build yourself daily. Why wait
until New Year's Day to make your resolutions when you know that you
need to change your habits immediately. Do not hesitate when it comes
to taking actions that will improve your lot in life. Even if you do
not perish, opportunities are not guaranteed to always be available,
so they should be pounced upon whenever possible. Do not wait until a
holiday to talk to that cute girl; talk to her now if you get the
chance to. Do not get caught up in holiday sales that generally
aren't really good deals and waste your time standing in line; get
what you need to get when you need it and can afford it.
Utilize Each Day to the Fullest
Yes, Christmas and
other holidays are days off from work, but the work that you must do
towards your own personal development does not stop when you clock
out. Too many of us use these days to be slothful or engage only in
leisure activities. Of course, it is great to enjoy yourself and to
enjoy your time off, but the world will keep moving on, leaving you
behind. We should do something to improve ourselves each and every
day that we are allotted. Holidays are some of the better days to
develop ourselves, actually, since we do not have to worry about
clocking in for our bosses. Instead, we can spend that extra hour at
the gym (if it's closed, we can go for a run or do calisthenics),
read a few chapters in those personal development books, catch up on
articles on various websites, and so on.
This is something
that the advertisers and retailers know. Advertisements do not stop
for the holidays; in fact, they ramp up. If businesses can do it,
then why can't we? The grind never stops. Even when you are sleeping,
your body is recuperating and repairing to be able to take on the
next day. Just because it is Christmas, Kwanzaa, Golden Week, the
Dragon Boat Festival, Fat Shaming Week, or even Christian Love Day
doesn't mean that the world comes to a standstill, so we shouldn't
either.
Holidays are Losing Their Luster
Okay, this
probably isn't what my father meant, but it is something that I have
been noticing. Maybe I have just become a humbug after becoming an
adult, maybe it is a shift in cultural trends, or maybe it is a
combination of these factors or other factors, but based on what I
have been seeing, Western holidays seem to have lost their meanings.
For most people that I know, holidays are just days where they don't
have to go to work, or have to run around from store-to-store
spending hours of their time and dipping into their savings to
purchase decorations and gifts. This really hit home when I spent
Christmas in Japan a few years back and noticed all of the Christmas
decorations in a country where less than one percent of the
population claims to adhere to the religion of Christianity. It's
just another aspect of Western culture that the Japanese people find
“cool” to follow, I suppose, and another way for international
companies to make more money. (As a side note, it is also a great day
to pick up in Japan).
No matter where we
are or what set of holidays are celebrated in our countries of
residence, we should seek to develop ourselves constantly, show
appreciation to the people in our lives that deserve it everyday, not
overindulge in consumerism or sloth, and not wait until designated
special days to complete tasks or make necessary changes in our
lives. Happy Holidays to you and yours, and remember to stay on the
grind.
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