Sharpening the Saw: The Magic of the “Christmas Spirit”

It’s Christmas time, and Jeff Van Fleet, Lighthouse’s President and CEO, is feeling the spirit.  How can we channel the fevered anticipation of the holiday season into self-improvement?  

I realized that the excitement leading up to Christmas is what is most enjoyable for me.
I think it’s the anticipation that creates the energy and feeling that I associate with the “Christmas Spirit”. 

It’s Christmas time for me and my family, and this is clearly my favorite time of the year.  Ask anyone who knows me, I whistle Christmas Carols all year long.

Lately, I have been thinking about what this time of year really means to me.  This is probably obvious to all of you, but I just realized that the excitement leading up to Christmas is what is most enjoyable for me.  Don’t get me wrong — Christmas Day is also wonderful, but I think it’s the anticipation that creates the energy and feeling that I associate with the “Christmas Spirit”.

At Lighthouse, I often talk about us focusing on what we want and not worrying much about what we don’t want.  By focusing on what we want, we naturally want success, joy, ease, and to feel valued.  When we’re at work, we may have weeks and months to anticipate a big tradeshow, project delivery, or client meeting.  During this time, we have a couple options: (1) we can worry about everything that could go wrong, or (2) we could prepare as best we can, focus on the outcomes we expect, and the differences we can make in others’ lives.  I strive for the latter — and it’s a path I’d recommend you try and take as often as you can.

I think this why I love the anticipation of Christmas so much.  We prepare (albeit sometimes stressfully), we bake, we shop, we wrap, and we look forward to gathering with our family and friends.  We look forward to sharing the joy of the Season with those whom we love!  The key is that we look forward with anticipation.

I wish you and your family the wonders of this season, the joy of the anticipation, and the opportunity to look forward throughout 2016.

Keep having fun,

Jeff Van Fleet
President and CEO
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting

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