Some stress reduction tips for your holiday season:

1. Rethink what a "holiday" means to you. Do you really have to endure long lines in stores, or fruitcakes and regurgitated family stories from Aunt Bessie? Holidays should be about family and friends, and spending time with those close to us. How you do that, with whom, and in what manner, is entirely an individual choice.

2. Forego arbitrary agendas and schedules as often as possible. There's no need to schedule your days off down to the hour. Turn off alarms, stay up as late as you like, and do things that give you pleasure and enjoyment.

3. Stop every now and again to give thanks for all that you have in your life. All of us have reasons to feel lucky and blessed, and most of these reasons have nothing to do with material possessions or accomplishments.

4. Take advantage of the opportunities that holidays present to spend quality time with people you care about, or to engage in activities that you normally don't get to do (going out with friends for a drink, going sledding during a snowstorm, seeing movies, visiting the zoo).

5. As the end of the calendar year approaches, seize every opportunity you can to try and do things better, more efficiently, and more effectively. The end of the year presents a natural stopping point to assess how we go about living our lives on a daily basis. Use this time to make some powerful, even if subtle, changes in how you operate.

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"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."

Dan Quayle

One of my favorite mental images of all time is that of The Ripple Effect, whereby a single action or event causes a cascade of subsequent events. The effects of one action, or a series of action, can have a lasting effect. These unintended consequences can outlast our memory and our existence, in some cases.

If you think back to big moments in your life, I'd bet that many of them are due to the confluence of ripples started by others in your life. The moment you met your spouse, the birth of your children, the new job offer in a different city: These events represent the end result of numerous actions, both direct and indirect, of those close to us. In some cases, also, strangers play a large but unintended role as well.

What you do, and who you are, will outlast you. It's not acceptable to walk through life using ignorance or laziness as an excuse for not making a difference in the lives of others. It certainly is tragic to think that some people don't care that they are allowing their talents to go unused and unshared when so many others could benefit from them. Those select few who go through life thinking only of themselves will, no doubt, arrive at moments of sheer panic and utter loneliness at some point in their lives. Those who understand the responsibility of doing well by their talents do amazing things and make tremendous differences in the lives of others. That being said, to which group do you belong?

How well do your actions hold up when judged by their influence on others? How big are the ripples you are leaving behind? Or is it more of a wake? Start being more intentional about how you live your life. Peace of mind comes from knowing that you have done the best you can to live well with each day you're given, not from closing your eyes and pretending that you didn't know better.

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