Give DEEP

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

More holiday songs are filling the radio station airways. Malls and shopping stores have increased their hours. The number of hours sleeping per night has decreased. Recipes are floating around. Parties and gathering are being planned. Gift exchanges are underway.

As you make your final gift giving preparations, I challenge you to give DEEP:

Desired. I remember being a child and looking through the Toys R Us advertisement so that I could make my wish list. I would grin and smile the entire time. All the while, circling everything I wanted Santa to bring me. I guarantee you there were at least two things circled on every page. I desired A LOT. But out of everything I circled, there was always one thing that I wanted more than anything. There is always a bottom line. Find out what that thing is.

Once you find out that one thing that your loved one desires, find a way to fulfil that desire. Do NOT break the bank! If you have the resources to get that one desired item to the point of specificity, great. If not, no worries. Cheat a little. Keep the lights and heat on by getting a less expensive brand or the version from the last season (both of which still get the same results and functions just as well). It will be okay. Your loved one will appreciate that you thought enough of him or her to fulfill his or her desires.

Easy. The more time you spend with someone, the more you know what they need. There is always something that some can receive that doesn’t take a lot of thought.  The items that are natural to buy but not really a priority. You especially know the things your loved one won’t ask for or talk about. Christmas is a time to take care of the things that are often taken for granted.

If you had a parent or guardian like my mom, you could always depend on seeing socks and underwear under the tree. It was never the thing I asked for. It was always the thing I expected and looked forward to. I knew that I would have a chance to switch things up. Christmas would be a time to get rid of the old things. I could get some fun, new colors. AND…we all know that white doesn’t stay white. Upgrading the white items in our drawers is super easy, thoughtful, and necessary.  

Experiential. Time ticks away and sometimes slips pass us before we even take notice. Often times, when December rolls around, we realize it’s the end of the year and we wonder where the past eleven months went. We wonder what we accomplished. No matter how long or short our list of accomplishments may be, we realize that time cannot be replaced. Once we lose it or it passes, there is nothing we can do to get it back.

However, memories are something that cannot be taken away. Use the Christmas holiday to create lasting memories. Create a family activity for everyone to participate in on Christmas day. Bike riding. Preparing a family breakfast together. Watching a movie. Playing a game. Have your loved ones pick a gift he or she received and, as a family, go donate those items to someone less fortunate. (Imagine the experience that would create and the impression that would leave.) Find a way to create an experience with your loved one that reaches beyond the materialistic focus of the season.

Propelling. It’s sometimes difficult for people to look inward and see potential that is obvious to the outside world. We sometimes need a little push in the right direction. ‘Belief’ is a critical component of the success journey. Not just personal belief but projected belief as well.  Sometimes, the only thing your loved one needs to complete a goal or take action on an initiative is the acknowledgement that he or she is not on an island alone.

Consider giving your loved one a gift of their future possibility. When you know the strengths of your loved one, you can help propel him or her into his or her destiny simply by offering support and encouragement. Get that power planner. Find the perfect running shoes or instrument. Wrap up a writing journal or sketch pad. Eliminate your loved one’s excuses. When you make a decision to inspire growth in your loved one, you create an entire future of untapped potential and future opportunity.  

DEEP gift giving is thoughtful, practical, and fun.

                DEEP gift giving is meaningful and can be life-changing.

                              DEEP gift giving is rooted in love.

Give DEEP this Christmas!