Daily Calm ~Tamara Levitt

Through the holiday season, a time we view as one of joy, connection, and celebration, many of us experience profound loneliness. Not everyone has families to celebrate with. Some grapple with broken relationships or mourn the loss of loved ones, while others confront different struggles. My experience growing up Jewish during the Christmas season felt isolating; the world seemed to shut down. Everything grew quiet, streets were empty, and you could almost hear a pin drop. For those years when I had no one to spend time with, a deep loneliness ensued.

Many people feel that everyone else is social, joyful, and celebrating with the perfect family. This can trigger feelings of isolation. So, first and foremost, if the above resonates, know that you are not alone. Countless people struggle during this time of year. I want you to keep two things close to your heart.

First, you are not your thoughts. By gently noticing your thoughts and becoming curious about them, you begin to differentiate between what’s true and what your mind wants you to believe. Negative emotions can be convincing, so challenge your thoughts when they arise. Remember, they are just passing clouds in this moment and don’t deserve more meaning than that. “I’m lonely” doesn’t mean you’ll be alone forever; it simply means you feel lonely right now. See if you can let that be okay. Loneliness is a common human experience, so try to accept it as your current, temporary state. Don’t push away your feelings; instead, hold loneliness in mindful awareness while also remembering that, like all mental states, loneliness comes and goes. It’s not a permanent part of who you are.

This leads to my second point: the impermanent nature of feelings like loneliness. It can feel as if they’ll last forever, but they won’t. Nothing does. Trust that tomorrow, a week from now, or maybe a year from now, life and your experience of it will change. Be gentle, patient, and loving with yourself through this time. Ask for support if you can, and if not, shower yourself with even more love, as you would a best friend. Remember, even the most difficult feelings have a beginning and an end. As Chatty Fallon wisely said, “Sadness is always temporary. This, too, shall pass.”

Best meditation session happened when the guide told me to not meditate.

“We see the Crater Lake with a feeling of ‘Well, there it is,’ just as the pictures show. I watch the other tourists, all of whom seem to have out-of-place looks too. I have no resentment at this, just a feeling that it’s all unreal and that the quality of the lake is smothered by the fact that it’s so pointed to.” The more you try to be here now, to point at what’s happening in this moment and really see it, the more it seems like you aren’t here now—or alternatively that you are, but that the experience has been drained of all its flavor.

~ Oliver Burkeman. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

Brevity breeds better conversations. Have controlled conversations with a rhythm, a purpose, and a point.

Deep brevity is being succinct with savvy. Brevity starts with deep expertise. Only with thorough knowledge can you accurately make a summary.

~ Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less by Joseph McCormack

“Once you make your life someone else’s content diet, it’s not your life.”

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In an age where information is at our fingertips, distinguishing between deep understanding and superficial knowledge becomes increasingly vital.

Deep understanding is what leads to innovative solutions, sound decision-making, and long-term success.

Understanding deeply enriches our perspectives, enabling us to engage more meaningfully with the world around us.

Achieving deep understanding requires effort and curiosity.

It means not just learning the ‘what’ but exploring the ‘why’ and the ‘how.’ It involves seeking out diverse sources, engaging in thoughtful dialogue, and applying knowledge in practical contexts.

It’s about being comfortable with complexity and uncertainty, and having the humility to acknowledge the limits of our knowledge.

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Entrepreneur journey is to find the path that connects today’s center of reality to the outer fringes of future possibilities.

Pulling the future closer to today makes this circle smaller, revealing a much larger circle of possibilities.

The number of circles are infinite and the process repeats.

“Maximize your mediocrity, to achieve greatness. Strive for connection, not perfection.”

~Matt Abrahams, Communications Expert, Stanford Business School lecturer

What’s the secret sauce of happiness? The number of deep and meaningful relationships.

What was present in people that over-index in deep and meaningful relationships? They were more forgiving.

If you don’t bring a certain level of forgiveness or a predisposition to forgiveness it’s going to be difficult to sustain long term relationships

“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They follow the habits they’ve learned.”

~ Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Those working on mission-driven endeavors, it’s easy to get lost in negativity. But challenges mean we’re pushing boundaries.

I’ll focus on the wins, big or small, and fuel my journey with optimism.

“We simply need the courage to be creative.” ~Seth Green

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

True. But a support network of family and friends multiplies chances of success.