Participation is always a choice – your choice . There is no way you will participate in something without on some level giving your agreement. Once you decide that it is actually in your best interest to participate, you will be amazed at how things turn out.

If you are invited to a holiday party, family gathering or business meeting, and you think you have to do it for reasons beyond your own choice or control, things may go badly from the beginning. Your non-verbal communication may actually be telling everyone the entire story. It may say, “I have absolutely no desire to be here!” Your silent but outspoken body language may say to all of those around you, “This is the last place that I really want to be!” Have you ever been around those people? Usually these people do not have large crowds around them!

On the other hand, if you can discover a reason why you really want to participate or even just attend, you will soon find the gift. You may meet someone that you least expect. Maybe, you will hear something that you never would have heard somewhere else. Just thinking, “Hey I am open to this,” may be all the prompting you need to take the adventure.

When all else fails, you may finally have to ask yourself, “Why do I feel that this is a place that I want to spend the limited amount of time I have to enjoy life? With this you may finally give yourself the gift of intentionally choosing where it is that you do want to participate.

Wishing you Intentional Participation with your holiday gatherings and commitments and with all the places you choose to go in the new year.

-Caryn