Monday Motivation – December 27, 2021

My favorite story of Christmas is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carole. I read it first when I was in the second grade, and it has become my habit to watch a version or two of the movies every Christmas season. I’m not sure why I like it so much, probably because it is so full of lessons at every level, especially leadership and personal development, and it ends with redemption.

Ebenezer Scrooge, the sad-sack greedy businessman with a hard heart, is visited by the ghost of his past partner Jacob Marly and three coaches in the form of spirits of Christmas past, present, and future. He is shown the impacts of his decisions on those he loved in the past, present, and future. His focus on his business has made him rich, but all else in his life is misery. Wow, all he has done and failed to do has compounded both good and bad. When his intense transformational coaching visits of the spirits conclude, and he awakes on Christmas morning, Scrooge is joyous. He makes a plan and immediately takes massive action! Now you know why I love this story. He sets about his short-term goals of making this Christmas joyous for his employee Bob Cratchit and his family and his nephew Fred, whom he has previously eschewed. He then continues with long-term goals to ensure Tiny Tim Cratchit receives the best medical treatment and gives Bob a generous raise. And in the end, it was said that Mr. Scrooge kept Christmas all year round, redemption complete!

While I could go on, here are three important points we can take from Dickens as we step into the new year:

Your life is the sum-total of every decision you’ve made or failed to make.

Whatever you focus your time and effort on will come to reality, good or bad.

Dreams, Resolutions, plans, and goals are necessary, but ACTION creates the result!

See you in the New Year; make it Great!