Mindful in 5 Podcast

Mindful Christmas Cheer!

• Spiwe Jefferson • Season 5 • Episode 157

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Discover the art of finding tranquility during the bustling holiday season in this latest episode of Mindful in 5. Imagine starting each day with a sense of calm that enhances your leadership and enriches your life. 

As we navigate the chaotic blend of year-end deadlines and holiday festivities, you'll gain practical insights on how to infuse mindfulness into your Christmas celebrations. By dedicating just five minutes each morning to meditation or prayer, you can transform your approach, leading with wisdom and compassion while remaining connected to the season's spiritual essence.

Step into a serene space with fellow Mindful Ninjas as we explore sacred moments hidden in daily routines, reflecting on the divinity found in the humblest of places. 

Through personal anecdotes, I'll share how my ritual of sitting in God's presence each morning profoundly impacts my day, offering a pathway to build a deeper connection with the divine. Let this episode be your guide to elevating your work, empowering your life, and celebrating the season with a joyful and peaceful presence. Join us in creating a daily practice that not only meets immediate needs but fosters enduring grace and clarity in your life.


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Spiwe Jefferson:

Welcome to Mindful in 5, where busy professionals find your peaceful oasis to thrive in complex work environments. I am Spiwe Jefferson attorney, certified mindfulness practitioner and author of the Mindful in 5 book series, here to guide you to a clearer, softer and more supported life. Join me and your fellow Mindful Ninjas as we explore science-backed mindfulness strategies for successful leaders that you can implement, starting with just five minutes a day. Elevate your work, empower your life, work higher, live stronger. Let's go. Merry Christmas, mindful Ninjas. Today we are exploring how to bring mindfulness to your Christmas celebration while honoring both its spiritual essence and practical leadership wisdom.

Spiwe Jefferson:

The holiday season can feel overwhelming, even for the most seasoned leaders. Between year-end deadlines, family obligations and festive preparations, it's easy to lose sight of what really matters. In addition, many of us for God lovers, this season holds deep spiritual significance as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a profound moment that changed the course of history and continues to inspire billions of people worldwide. Today, I am sharing some of my favorite mindful practices to help you fully embrace both the spiritual and practical aspects of the Christmas season, while maintaining your most peaceful, calm and joyful presence. So first, honor the sacred in the everyday. For those who hold faith dear. I'm talking to the God-lovers, the Christians, the Protestants, the devotees, all y'all. Remember that just as the shepherds found divinity in a humble manger, we too can find sacred moments in our daily lives. When you are rushing between meetings or reviewing year-end reports, pausing to remember why we celebrate is so important. Consider starting your day with a brief prayer or meditation focusing on the miracle of Christ's birth. This spiritual centering can transform your leadership approach, helping you lead with both wisdom and compassion.

Spiwe Jefferson:

I have made such a habit of taking at least at least five minutes every morning to sit with God, and for me it's such a habit that it does feel really weird. If I don't do it, I will give up going to the gym. If I got up too late, I will give up a lot of things before I will give up my five minutes, and usually what ends up happening is I sit down and I'm like, okay, god, I've got five minutes and I'm going to hang out with you for five minutes. And I sit down and, before I know it, 10 minutes have gone, 15 minutes have gone, 20 minutes have gone by and I just feel the deepest sense of calm and I'm never concerned about the time, because I know that that time that I use to start my day is going to impact in incredible ways the rest of the day that I have. So if you're sitting there thinking, gosh, what do you do as you're sitting there? Because, you know, I might say the Lord's Prayer, I might ask God for what I need. But, boy, what are you thinking about as you're sitting there?

Spiwe Jefferson:

There is, for those of you who read the Bible, there is a part in Jesus's life where he went out and he spent 40 days and 40 nights with God. He didn't eat, he did not drink anything, and I have I used to wonder what was he doing out there for 40 days and for 40 nights. My theory the Bible doesn't say exactly what he was doing, other than he was spending time with his father. But you know, I suspect that he was doing a lot of meditation, spending time with his father, but I suspect that he was doing a lot of meditation, and I define prayer as the time that you speak to God, and meditation is creating the space for God to talk to you. And I think the meditation part is so much more important because both you and God know exactly what you're going to say, but you don't know what God's going to say if you create the space for him to talk to you, and so the other thing that I would share with you is you know you have ways to spend time with God every day.

Spiwe Jefferson:

It's not to ask on most days, for me, it's not to ask for anything, but just to hang out. If you think about how you build relationships with people you care about, you don't just show up when you're in crisis or with a laundry list of things that you want. You show up just to be with that person. So I show up in my meditation spot, open with a prayer, and there are many days where I literally say God, I don't need anything, I'm just here to tell you that I love you. I'm just here to be with you, and then you know, sometimes that might turn into well, and then you know, sometimes that might turn into well. Okay, actually, there is something I need, and what I need is for you to be with me, close to me, all day today. Be with me. Let me reflect your love and care for everyone I encounter. Grant me your wisdom in the work before me today. Everyone I encounter. Grant me your wisdom in the work before me today, let me feel your love as I go about my day, because I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

Spiwe Jefferson:

And with every repetition I go deeper into what does that really mean in my life? What does it mean to love God? It means I trust him, and then that takes me down another rabbit hole. But do I really? Does my life reflect that I trust you? What does it look like today? Here's my calendar. I go through it in my mind. What does trusting God with my calendar look like? What does consulting him about my day look like? And so, before you know it, right, you just think about that. Before you know it, 10 minutes have gone by and you're just sitting there thinking about the love that you have for your father.

Spiwe Jefferson:

And on occasion, I get a download of insight. I get a download of insight, I get a download of information. I get this warm, tingly feeling, kind of like goosebumps, but I'm not cold, and that, for me, is when I know that the presence of God is something that I can tangibly feel. The way that I learned God-centered meditation is to speak to God in the language of your heart. There is no magic in it. There are no magic words, only the song of your heart. So try that this holiday. So that was our first thing. Second practice present moment awareness. Just as Jesus taught his disciples to be fully present in their ministry, bring that same quality of presence to your holiday moments when opening gifts with family.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Put away your phone. Feel the texture of the wrapping paper, look at it. Somebody went through the trouble to buy this wrapping paper and to put it together around this gift. And if you're like me, you don't wrap gifts that often because I usually prefer gift bags, because it's so much easier, and so if I have to wrap a gift in a box in paper, it really does take some effort. So notice the effort that somebody went through to find this wrapping paper. Touch it. Look at the if there's a bow on it. Appreciate that. Look at the box and just appreciate the experience of unwrapping to get to the thing that's inside. Notice the joy in others' faces. Oftentimes it is so much more fun to give gifts because you're so excited when you feel like you got exactly the right thing. Notice the joy on the faces of the people that are the givers of the gifts as well as the recipients of the gifts. These moments are your real KPIs for this season. These are your key performance indicators.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Today, as I record this, we celebrated one of my daughter's birthdays. For birthdays, we join our two families my husband and I, my two daughters, their dad and his wife and their daughter, so seven of us get together and, as I hugged each of my family members, I was fully present, conveying to them that love that God instilled in me this morning, and we just really enjoy each other's company. And if you're thinking to yourself, did she say she and her ex-husband and her husband and her ex-husband's wife? Yes, I did. If you are divorced, you know that that is a feat unto itself to get to the point where you can do that. And our kids are grown I mean, our baby just turned 20. And so we have been at this for quite a long time, and now that the kids are adults, we don't even have to see each other. But it's important, and so I consider my ex-husband and his wife and his daughter to be part of my extended family, partly because I'm African and we do.

Spiwe Jefferson:

That whole takes a village thing and relationships are important, even when it's your ex and even when it didn't work out for that particular marriage, but he and his wife and their daughter, they are still very much a cherished part of my life because we are connected through our daughters still, and so you can make things like that that sound impossible work. So think about your relationships this holiday. Is there somebody that you need to reach out to to make amends? Is there somebody that you can extend a hand of kindness and friendship to? And if so, you know, do it now.

Spiwe Jefferson:

And that takes us to the third thing, which is embrace imperfection. One might say that our family is imperfect, but I would suggest to you that, actually, what my ex-husband and I were imperfect at, god found a way to create perfection. The seven of us are perfection For those of you who are spiritually minded. In the Bible, seven is the number of completeness. We are complete as a unit when we get together with this family group, and that is our concept of perfection. And even as I said that I just realized I've got two groups of perfection, because when my husband's kids are here, we are still a perfect unit of seven, because it's my son, we have three daughters and my husband and our grandson. So seven and seven either way. Perfection, perfection, perfection. So embrace imperfection.

Spiwe Jefferson:

As leaders at work, we often strive for excellence, but remember Jesus wasn't born in a palace but in a humble stable, to Joseph, a carpenter. And you know, I don't know what Mary did. Do you? If you do, send me a note and tell me, because I'm realizing for the first time that I never wondered if she had a profession. I don't think so, certainly not at the time she had Jesus, but let me know if you know for sure. But the point is that Jesus was not born into earthly nobility. That was not the intent.

Spiwe Jefferson:

Christmas doesn't need to be perfect to be meaningful. If the turkey is slightly overdone or the decorations aren't magazine worthy, remember it's these perfectly imperfect moments that often become cherished memories. Just enjoy this time and keep your focus on what's most important beyond materiality, like rest relationships and reconnecting with those you love. Like rest relationships and reconnecting with those you love. That takes us to item number four of five. Take a moment each day until Christmas to acknowledge three things you are grateful for. Begin with the gift of salvation. If that aligns with your faith, then expand it to your team's dedication this in the coming year. You can extend it to your family support, or simply the beautiful quiet of every morning when you and I get to wake up with breath in our bodies to live another day.

Spiwe Jefferson:

That takes us to thing. Five create space for reflection. The wise men in the story of the birth of Jesus took time to follow the star, reminding us of the importance of spiritual reflection. If you are working over some part of the holiday, create space for both professional and spiritual reflection. Consider how can your leadership serve others, how can you bring light to your organization, just as the star brought light to Bethlehem Bethlehem. So, as we wind down this conversation, I would invite you to implement some changes. If you don't already practice these already, and you can pick any one of these Tonight try this 60 second practice Before dinner pause. Take three deep breaths Inhale in, exhale out, inhale and exhale, inhale. See how that slows you down Inhale and exhale. Look around your table or your space, say a prayer of gratitude or simply name what you're thankful for.

Spiwe Jefferson:

During your next team meeting, share a message of hope and peace, drawing inspiration from the Christmas story while respecting diverse beliefs. Set aside at least five minutes each morning for spiritual reflection or meditation, connecting your leadership purpose with deeper meaning. Remember the same skills that make you an effective leader. Presence, adaptability, emotional intelligence can transform your holiday experience. And for those celebrating the birth of Christ, let this season remind you that leadership, at its core, is about service, humility and bringing light to others. Service humility and bringing light to others. As we close, remember that, whether you are leading a corporation or a small team, or whether you're leading your household, the Christmas season invites us all to disconnect from work so that we can connect with something larger than ourselves, from work so that we can connect with something larger than ourselves. For some, it is the profound mystery of God becoming man. For others, it is the universal theme of hope and peace and goodwill. I wish you a present, peaceful and blessed Christmas holiday Until next week. This is PY saying be mindful and be well.

James@DiscovertheVoice:

Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from spiwejefferson. com, or unsigned copies from Amazon, barnes, noble or wherever you get your books. Visit spiwejefferson. com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the linkedin mindful in five group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.