Before you get to the holiday shopping and wrapping, there is a fork in the road. Will you travel the holiday route of stress and depression this year or will you follow the path that says “Seamless Joy?”

You probably want to get to the place called “Get it all done.” In that place, all your gifts are bought, your cards are sent, your tree is up, your parties are planned and the new candles fit perfectly in the menorah. The action is designed and completed. That’s a great place to head to but before you go rushing down the road, let’s check the map. If you quickly glance at your past trips to “Get it all done,” I’m sure you’ll recall that there are a couple of different ways to get there. One way is rushed, irritated and disturbed. The other is thrilling and joyful. The second is colored with eager anticipation of the beautiful smile that will appear on the face of your loved one when the paper comes off the gift you just bought.

As you stand at the fork in the road and choose which path you will take this year, I invite you to consider these directions to “Get it all done” that take you along the path of seamless joy.

Set Two Intentions

Before you leave the house, do you check to see if you have your wallet and your keys? It’s a good idea to get in the habit of checking two more things and these are your intentions – one outer, one inner.

1. Outer Intention. This starts out as the list you’re accustomed to. Let’s say you want to buy a scarf for your mother. Well, that’s nice but it doesn’t have much umph. In fact, many of the items on your list may feel like a chore, routine or obligation. You can energize them and bring greater joy to your life as you light up these activities with purpose.

Let’s see if we can turn your scarf-buying experience into a true gift for your mother. One that will warm her much more than even the finest silk. Simply get a feeling about the outcome you are aiming towards. Instead of aiming at the goal of checking that scarf off your list, try this. Spend a little time getting the feeling of the best possible outcome of this scarf-buying adventure. Soak your mind in some affirmations, visualizations and most importantly, feelings that you would like to have spring from this. Here are a few possibilities:

A. Mom loves the feeling of this scarf. As soon as she opens it, she closes her eyes and holds it up to her cheek with a soft smile.

B. As she drapes the scarf around her shoulders, her beauty is revealed. It brings out her ever-youthful spirit.

C. Unbeknownst to you, the color or the pattern or the fabric or something about the scarf you chose, has special meaning to her. She wonders how you knew to pick this one out. It truly brings her joy.

You can also include in your intention that the shopping experience is fun, efficient and easy. You find the right scarf quickly and you get tremendous value for the money you spend.

Once you mull this over to the point where you can feel it all rolling smoothly ahead, you are ready to set your inner intention.

2. Inner Intention – This is all about your state. This is where you shift perspectives from victim of the world to creator of your own experience. This is where you pronounce that regardless of circumstances you are going to enjoy this day.

Nestled within your inner intention is a deep understanding that there is nothing but the present moment. And while you are sifting through racks of scarves and your coat is getting heavy on your arm and the sun is getting lower and the cashier’s line is getting longer, you are in command of your own state. You know that this, like all others, is a sacred present moment. You remember that you have the choice of feeling burdened by the circumstances or you can choose joy in your now. Set the intention before you even leave the house. Then, when your coat gets heavy on your arm, it will be a reminder that you have a choice. You can be weighed down by your coat or you can be elevated by your spirit.

Joy is Everywhere

Once you set your two intentions in motion you have chosen the path of joy. Now, how do you stay steady on that path? How do you maintain seamless joy all the way to “Get it done?” Fortunately it’s not something that you have to do anything about. It’s sort of like your heart beat. You are not in charge of keeping it going. The all-pervasive, always present vibration of the universe, when experienced by a human being, feels like joy. And because the vibration is seamless, the joy is too. It’s just a matter of whether or not you stay tuned in to it or not.

• So there you are in the department store, your coat on one arm, five different scarves on the other and you can remind yourself – joy is available now. “The universe is vibrating and when I tune in, it feels like joy.”

• And there you are, waiting in line and you can remind yourself – the universe is still vibrating and joy is everywhere for the taking. We are cultivating a mystical awareness within mundane moments. This paves a path of joy through otherwise trying activities. It levels the playing field. Because in success and failure, the universe is always humming. And in gain and in loss, the same vibration (that translates into joy) is available to all.

If you decide to take the path of “Seamless Joy” on your way to “Get it all done,” remember to set your intentions before you leave the house. And then follow through with an honoring of the eternal now as it manifests. Look for the glow of eternal consciousness in the department stores and businesses. It sits cloaked in your most mundane reality.

I wish you seamless joy this holiday season.

© Rebbie Straubing

You can receive Dr. Rebbie Straubing's Free e-Course, "7 Secrets for Manifesting Your Heart's Desire," at http://www.yofa.net

Rebbie is a workshop leader, Abraham Coach, and writer.

To find or harmonize a relationship, visit http://www.GreatRelationships.net

Increase your awareness of Divine Love and begin a meditation practice in 3 minutes at the Affirmative Contemplation website, http://www.AffirmativeContemplation.com

• Create Your Own Christmas Centerpiece


• Christmas Time in the Classroom


• Confessions of a Shopping Mall Santa


• Holiday Shopping - Mauled at The Mall


• Budgeting Over Christmas


• How To Get Through The Holidays Without Gaining Weight


• Control Holiday Stress


• Will They be Home for Christmas?


• I Dont Want To Do Christmas!


• An International Christmas