Best Christmas Ever

By Matthew Kelly

Are you ready to have your best Christmas EVER?

That sounds easy, right? Having a great Christmas is harder than you might think, and it's much easier to ruin your Christmas instead. We often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, spending time on things that aren't a priority. Before we know it, our high expectations aren't reached and we think to ourselves, "Maybe next year."

Don't let this year end that way! Learn how to prioritize what actually matters with Best Christmas Ever. Read the book in one direction and you will discover 28 practical ways to avoid the WORST CHRISTMAS EVER and to overcome common obstacles that can prevent a great Christmas. Simply flip it over and read it in the other direction, and you will discover 28 proven tips for making this your BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

It's time to recognize the things that can either make or break the holidays, such as:

Technology Fasting
Attending to Your Spiritual Illness
Hosting Movie Nights
Rediscovering Your Childhood
Being Presented Not Preoccupied
Taking Things Personally That Are Not Personal
Lack of Reflection
Spending More Money than You Can Afford
Unholy Moments
Perfectionism


This book may be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and anyone else who may need it this year. It will change how you approach Christmas forever. Let it entertain you, energize you, and lead you to the best Christmas of your life!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781635825435

Matthew Kelly

Matthew Kelly es un autor superventas, conferenciante, líder intelectual, empresario, consultor, líder espiritual e innovador. Ha dedicado su vida a ayudar a personas y organizaciones a convertirse en la mejor versión de sí mismas. Nacido en Sídney (Australia), empezó a dar conferencias y a escribir al final de su adolescencia, mientras estudiaba negocios. Desde entonces, cinco millones de personas han asistido a sus seminarios y presentaciones en más de cincuenta países. En la actualidad, Kelly es un conferenciante, autor y consultor empresarial aclamado internacionalmente. Sus libros se han publicado en más de treinta idiomas, han aparecido en las listas de los más vendidos de The New York Times, Wall Street Journal y USA Today, y han vendido más de cincuenta millones de ejemplares. A los veintipocos años desarrolló el concepto de «la mejor versión de uno mismo» y lleva más de veinticinco compartiéndolo en todos los ámbitos de la vida. Lo citan presidentes y celebridades, deportistas y sus entrenadores, líderes empresariales e innovadores, aunque quizá nunca se cita con más fuerza que cuando una madre o un padre pregunta a un hijo: «¿Te ayudará eso a convertirte en la mejor versión de ti mismo?». Los intereses personales de Kelly incluyen el golf, la música, el arte, la literatura, las inversiones, la espiritualidad y pasar tiempo con su mujer y sus hijos. Para más información, visita MatthewKelly.com

Book preview

Title

Table of Contents

1. Fail on Purpose.

2. Begin with Purpose.

3. Life is Short!

4. The Main Thing.

5. Temper Your Expectations.

6. Create Memories.

7. The Power of Anticipation.

8. Rediscover Childhood.

9. Learn to Do Nothing.

10. The Santa Question.

11. Be a Pilgrim, Not a Tourist!

12. Getting to Know Yourself.

13. That Difficult Conversation.

14. Escape the Joyless Urgency.

15. Listen to Music.

16. Stop Trying to Hack Life.

17. Learn to Deep Think.

18. Pay Attention.

19. Be Present Not Preoccupied.

20. Locate Your Heart.

21. Amazing Sundays.

22. Attend to Your Spiritual Illness.

23. Technology Fasting.

24. The Importance of Christmas PJs.

25. The Sights, Smells, and Sounds of Christmas.

26. Movie Night.

27. Acceptance and Surrender.

28. Everyone Knows that Love is the Only Way.

29. Holy Moments.

1.

Fail on Purpose.

A place where everyone is striving for what isn’t worth having. This is how Thackeray describes Vanity Fair in his novel of 1848. It aptly defines so much of our culture. A place where everyone is striving for what isn’t worth having. It also aptly describes the way many people approach Christmas each year. A place where everyone is striving for what isn’t worth having.

In the process we will cease striving for everything that isn’t worth having and focus our efforts on the very few things that matter most, the things we should strive for with our whole hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.

#1. Decide to fail on purpose. I know it sounds crazy. It is completely counter intuitive. It is the opposite of what our success-focused, over-productive, achievement obsessed culture tells us ten million times throughout our lives.

What am I talking about? You cannot do everything. You cannot succeed at everything. You cannot be the best at everything. And despite what the culture would like you to believe, you cannot have it all.

You have to choose. You cannot play golf and tennis on Saturday afternoon. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to miss out. We miss out on almost everything if you really stop to think about it. Every time you decide to do one thing, you are deciding not to do everything else. When you choose a career you choose not to pursue every other profession. When a man chooses to marry his wife, he doesn’t think, Oh, I am missing out on the other four billion women on the planet.

Our lives are forged with tough choices or wasted in indecision.

It’s time to start intentionally neglecting things that don’t matter. It’s okay to fail at things that aren’t important. It’s necessary. It’s wise. It’s the only sane thing to do in a world full of unlimited options.

You fail every day. You are going to fail every day for the rest of your life. The key is to fail at the right things, to fail at the things that don’t matter.

So, as you begin this journey toward Christmas, take a few minutes and identify what really matters. Don’t make a long list. This will just set you up to fail at what matters most and lead you to feel anxious, overwhelmed, and defeated.

Choose three things. What really matters this Christmas? Your three things might be:

1. Host a wonderful family gathering.

2. Have a powerful encounter with God on Christmas Day at Church.

3. Make this an amazing Christmas for someone else. This kind of clarity is liberating. By getting clear about the most important things, you begin to realize that there are a great many things that it is okay to fail at because they don’t matter that much. You can then decide what to intentionally neglect. You can decide what to intentionally fail at.

Whatever three you decide upon, keep them at the top of your to-do list as you journey toward Christmas this Advent.

You probably won’t get it right the first time, and you can change it as you reflect more in the coming days, but resist the temptation to add to this list. Keep the list at three. There will be other important things, but these are the three most important things. If you want to put something else on the list, you need to take something off the list.

This simple three item list will help you remain clear about what matters most this Christmas.

Keep another list with the dozens of things you need to do to prepare for Christmas, but at every point between now and Christmas, be clear about the three things that matter most.

Every time you feel obliged, compelled, or guilted into doing something for Christmas, reflect on your top three priorities and ask yourself, Am I giving these enough time and attention?

Things that matter most should never be at the mercy of things that matter least, was Goethe’s observation, but we let it happen all the time. Decide, here and now, that this Christmas you will not let things that matter least rule over things that matter most.

If you want to have your Best Christmas Ever, begin by deciding what matters most, and then honor, celebrate, prioritize, and bask in those few things.

Release yourself from the tyranny of the trivial