This Year At Christmas

How the Five Life Areas Impact Christmas?

I decided to think of Christmas in terms of our NoLongerCommon five life growth areas. I’ll try not to explain what I mean by that, but rather jump right in so that you can see what it means. Obviously, you don’t naturally think of Christmas in terms of growth areas, but Christmas impacts these five areas by default. This is uncommon thinking. So how can you take advantage of what is going to happen anyway? It’s how you handle these impacted areas that determine how well you do the event we all know and love called Christmas.

Your Life This Year at Christmas
(Life Growth Area 1)

Your life can be made up of your home, how you educate yourself, and what makes up your “personal life.” It’s what you do behind the scenes (so to speak). Normal for Christmas is the person who does very little to make an impact in their life. They take it for granted that Christmas can and should have a positive impact on their life.

Your home.
Normal is the person who doesn’t put up decorations or transform their home for Christmas. It’s the person who waits until the last minute to do their Christmas shopping, put up decorations, or make plans to have a special Christmas. So the question one must ask is, what does uncommon look like for a home?
This would be the person who places value and great thought into decorating and transforming their home for this most special event. This is the person who understands that setting proper traditions for their family leaves a legacy.
Your education.
Normal is the person who doesn’t enjoy Christmas because they’re too consumed with school. Have you ever wondered why exams fall around Christmas? Sounds like an intentional distraction from what’s more important.
A person of excellence learns how to balance school with the important things of life, like Christmas. It’s this ability that prepares them for life. If we allow school to get in the way of the things that matter most, we open the door for other obligations to become our priority over the most important things like family. How else can we, as uncommon people show the rest of the world how it’s done if we can’t balance our educational pursuits with our life pursuits?
Your personal life.
Ordinary people will miss out on the sensual attributes of Christmas (i.e. the smells, the sights, the sounds, and the tastes). Christmas brings with it the ability to give your senses something that it doesn’t get all year. While normal people may ignore or even dread the coming of the holiday season, the uncommon take these sensual attributes all in. They take time to listen to Christmas music, smell their favorite Christmas fragrances, see the lights and decorations, and find enjoyment in their favorite Christmas treats. All of which are uncommon and outside of the norm. For example, my famous tea cakes will only come once a year, so I take enjoyment in it.

So, how will growth area number one, your life be impacted this year at Christmas?

Your Work This Year at Christmas
(Life Growth Area 2)

When was the last time you shared some Christmas cheer in your workplace? How has Christmas impacted your work habits, business ethics, and career building? Are you waiting on someone else to bring Christmas to your job? Or will you take it on yourself?

Normal is that person who fails to see what bringing in a little extra cheer in the office around Christmas time will do. Think of it this way. Christmas time brings us who are no-longer-common an opportunity that no other time of year affords us like this. It’s easy to celebrate without getting into trouble at the office. You can bring in treats, sing songs, play songs, and even give gifts. You can share stories and even invite others to special Christmas events. The uncommon take advantage of this opportunity to promote Christmas which is Christ, The Uncommon One.

So, how can you use Christmas as an opportunity to impact growth area number two, your work this year at Christmas?

Your Spirituality This Year at Christmas
(Life Growth Area 3)

To be spiritual and to focus on spirituality is an uncommon act in and of itself. However, normal people aren’t spiritual. Regardless of what society would have you believe, a spiritual person is an uncommon person. You can’t be both spiritual and normal, these two are what I’d call mutually-exclusive. They can’t coexist. So how can we use Christmas to impact ours and someone else’s spirituality?

It’s obvious that most are very sensitive during the Christmas holiday season. Spiritually sensitive that is. Signs of Christmas, its meaning and people expressing Christmas are literally everywhere. It’s our best time to get involved and to form relationships with people who could use a little spirituality in their life. As a family, we’ve come up with a few ways we can impact our spirituality as well as those around us.

We like to invite people to our church’s Christmas service. Fortunately our church can accommodate thousands and have different days and times it holds Christmas services which makes it more convenient for the people we wish to invite and share in this moment with us.
We also go over and above in being extremely generous. We plan on how we can impact the spirituality of our family and take it to the next level. This year at Christmas is the best time because everyone is open to it.

So, how can you use Christmas as an opportunity to impact growth area number three, your spirituality this year at Christmas?

Your Interactions This Year at Christmas
(Life Growth Area 4)

Within growth area number four, we think of ways to impact others in how we recreate, in our sphere of influence (society), and even in government affairs, where possible. Normal people won’t take Christmas outside of their home, some won’t even have it inside their home. It’s hard to have Christmas outside when you don’t have it inside.

So, what would happen if we infected our world with Christmas at Christmas? The impact to our world would involve us sharing our downtime, time outside of work, with others. What do you do that doesn’t involve work during the Christmas season? Do you have a special show that you attend? What about viewing the lights at that special light show or the lighting of your city’s Christmas tree? How about a special Christmas program? Or watching your favorite Christmas movie with a friend?

How can you turn a what would be just another normal (outside of work) day into a special Christmas themed-day? If you don’t infect your world with Christmas then who will?

How will you use life growth area number four, your interactions, to add value this year at Christmas?

Your Relationships This Year at Christmas
(Life Growth Area 5)

Relationships are obviously the most important during any season of life. However, it’s even more important during Christmas.

Normal is the person who’s not making plans to spend time with those who are most important. They’re the ones not interested in sharing Christmas with anyone.

The uncommon however are.
“Christmas just ain’t Christmas without the ones you love.” – The O’Jays

The uncommon at this time of year will spend more time with others than any other time during the year. It’s one of those things that we look forward to. By spending this time nurturing and creating new relationships, gives you more opportunities to share and experience Christmas unlike anyone else.

So then, how will you use growth area number five, your relationships to impact others this year at Christmas?

It’s these five areas of life, that makes the life we have. Will you ignore your home, your work, your religion, your relationships, and your influences this year at Christmas? Or will you be unlike the rest? When will you decide that an ordinary Christmas is no longer enough?
How will you impact these areas this year at Christmas?

Thanks for joining us at nolongercommon.com. Don’t forget to share this special Christmas message with your family and friends. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Next week, join us as we share a very special New Year’s message; don’t miss it.

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