Dear Santa,
This Christmas, I don’t want to stuff every nook and cranny in my home with purposeless possessions that have no place. I don’t want a room full of ‘junk’ I haven’t looked at in months. I don’t want to put up another shelf to display random bits and bobs that aren’t deeply meaningful to me. I don’t want to cram more clothes into my overfull wardrobe or squeeze another picture onto my busy walls.
I already have enough clothes to keep me dressed each day, and I have enough jewellery to make a change each week. My gut says it doesn’t want chocolates and sweets anymore, thank you all the same. My heart wants more books, but I’ve one left from last year to read.
Santa, what I really want this Christmas is less ‘stuff’ in my life, not more. I don’t need lots of new things. I honestly have enough.
So how about something new this Christmas? I wonder how it would be, if all of those people that think I’m tough to buy for, actually got to know the real me. What if they were curious about what really makes me tick? What if they asked about the things I hold dear? Swap clutter for affection I could keep in my heart.
This Christmas, true connection would be the best gift…
Hayley shares her personal stories of feeling shy, socially anxious, ‘not good enough’ and fearfully avoiding the good things in life. Growing her confidence through coaching, gradually stretching her comfort zone and connecting with others, she now uses everything she has learned to help other people grow their confidence in her role as a coach. Hayley is passionate about connecting people with similar stories and creating safe, supportive spaces to make friends and try new things. Hayley dreams of a time when all of the strengths, skills and goodness in ‘quiet’ is recognised and appreciated as readily as being bold, gregarious, and comfortable in the spotlight is right now.