The Gift of Grace

The holiday season and end of the year can bring cherished moments of happiness, love, connection and warmth. It can also usher in loneliness, grief, stress, resentment, anger and pain.

All of these emotions are real. They’re all valid. The ones that feel tender, uncomfortable and scary do not make us inadequate; they simply make us human. After all, we were born to be uncommon, not perfect. The feelings that awake and challenge us to our core allow us to unveil and unpack who we think we are so we can draw closer to who we’re actually meant to be. We often live in the past or the future, forgetting that the most precious gift lies in the present.

If there is one present we can give ourselves and others this holiday season, let it be grace. Grace is the ability to empathize and acknowledge the human nature of ourselves and another person. It is the power to recognize our mistakes and shortcomings, yet learn from the experiences with self-compassion instead of self-torture. Grace is that random act of kindness, a smile to a stranger, and an uplifting compliment. Grace is the ability to be deterred but not defeated. Grace is the perspective to celebrate other people’s milestones and achievements without comparing ourselves to them. Grace accepts and leans into the fact that we don’t always have to know where we are going to start the journey. While practicing grace can encompass many actions and experiences, it is anchored in acceptance, forgiveness and love.

There is immense power in grace. In this unprecedented holiday season and unique moment in time, let’s reimagine and reframe how we talk to ourselves about ourselves and how we treat others. While we might unwrap gifts over the coming days, cultivate a moment to give ourselves and others the ultimate gift of grace. Realize that grace cannot be bought or sold. It can only be expressed, shared and experienced by how we lead, love and live.

Through the trials and tribulations, joy is our birthright, and peace always has a place in our lives. Our team at The Daily Coach wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season. May it be filled with strength, faith, safety, gratitude and, above all, grace.

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