As you go about your days this holiday season, we challenge you to be an uplifter and a "bringer of joy" instead of the opposite--a bringer of blame, criticism, sarcasm, resentment, irritation, anger and disconnection.

Sometimes easier said than done, we know!

You might be tired and stressed from the hassle of all the preparations for the holidays--buying and wrapping gifts, decorating your home, extra cooking, entertaining, coming up with hostess gifts for parties you attend (that maybe you don't even want to go to)--plus keeping up with your job, regular chores like grocery shopping and getting the kids to their activities.

So the last thing you want to think about is putting on a smiley face and being an "uplifter" and a "bringer of joy."

You might be telling us...

Hey, I'm doing the best I can do to just get through every thing I have to do--and now you're telling me to do something else!

Well--that's the challenge.

Several years ago, one of Susie's best friends learned a great lesson about this challenge.

At the holidays, her entire family descended on her every year--a week before Christmas and stayed until New Year's.

At the time, she was working full-time at a very stressful job that included lots of travel and although she loved her family, she looked on their visit as one more stressful thing in her life.

She said that she found herself staying in the kitchen most of their visit, concentrating on preparing and serving meals--and then cleaning up afterwards.

She realized that she had almost no meaningful interaction with her family because her mind was constantly on the next meal she was going to serve--and not on connecting with them.

For many years, she missed being with her family, even though they were right there in her home for several days!

But one holiday, she woke up to what she had been missing.

She stopped and started interacting with the people she loved most in the world.

She allowed other people to help prepare meals and clean up. She didn't try to do it all herself.

She played with her grand kids.

And she hasn't turned back.

So how about your life right now?

Could you take a moment right now and take our Relationship Challenge?

If you're game to take our challenge, here are a few questions for you to think about...

1. How can you bring more ease and joy to yourself this holiday season and the new year?

2. How can you bring more joy to others this holiday season and the new year?

3. How can you open your heart more of the time instead of keeping it closed in anger, resentment or criticism?

4. How can you focus on what's good about your life situation as opposed to what's wrong or missing?

5. How can you be grateful for where you've been and what you've gone through, even if it didn't seem like much of a gift at the time?

What it comes down to is this...

It's all a choice and we challenge you to make one change right now to help you create better relationships and a better life.

Does it mean that you have to constantly have a smile on your face no matter what's happening in your life and no
matter what's being done to you or to those you love?

Of course not.

By asking you these questions, we're simply offering you (and us) an opportunity to look at how you can take one positive step toward what you'd like more of in your life.

We're taking our challenge--How about you?