The next few months can be filled with a roller coaster of emotions. One moment you can feel like you are soaring with joy and laughter and in the next moment you are descending rapidly around a blind curve you didn’t see coming. When emotions run high it is important to implement strategies to help you flow with ease and grace to ensure inner and outer harmony.  As I was playing with ideas for two upcoming TV segments on NBC & FOX that focus on Thanksgiving and family harmony I created a DIY tool that can help you every time you entertain.

One such simple solution is what I refer to as the “Mood Map” when entertaining. Basically a “Mood Map” is way of looking at a seating arrangement and employing a strategy so that it flows with grace and enjoyable conversation.  You can use this at Thanksgiving or at any sit down gathering that you host.  It assists your ability to discern how to create harmony at your table by evaluating and designing a seating plan that encourages fun for all.  Let me explain what I briefly mentioned in last week’s article and then I will give you a simple tool that you can use again and again.

Your  “Mood Map” consists of 2 steps that will encourage graceful flow and influence overall harmony.

• First, put a seating plan in place that will alleviate conflict at the table. If Aunt A doesn’t get along with In-Law-B ensure they don’t end up next to each other, which could increase the family drama.
• Next, consider who is lively and talkative and who is less sociable. Based on the Universal Law of Attraction typically like attracts like. The chatty people end up at one end of the table having a fabulously fun time and the other side of the table is quietly watching the scene.  Carefully consider who falls on which end of the spectrum and evenly distribute those that can carry a conversation around the table. This will bring balance and harmony to your gathering. Everyone will feel like they are part of the conversation and the fun!

For most gatherings I will take the time to evaluate and design a game plan to ensure a smooth and harmonious get-together.  It really can make the difference between soiree success or function flop.  The 1^st time I realized that this was critical in holiday harmony was at one of the Christmas Eve dinners we hosted at our home.  We had more than twenty people seated at the table and I made a special effort to ensure that people were seated in an arrangement that would make it a memorable evening for all.  It actually took me some time to evaluate who would be most compatible and how I could avoid pairing people who would not be able to carry a conversation. I remember sitting down and in pencil  creating a seating plan. Thankfully I made this in pencil because I would erase and cross out name over and over, until it seemed I had a seamless plan.  The fruits of my labor were worth it.  At the end of the evening my mother-in-law came up to me and praised the thoughtfulness of the seating arrangement. I thought to myself, “Wow, someone noticed!” That was when it clicked for me that creating holiday harmony depended on making memorable moments, which could easily be shaped with a little thought and effort.

Recently, I discovered that there is an even easier way to make your “Mood Map” without erasing and continuously crossing out names. I designed a “Mood Map” template which  you can use over and over. Let me explain how…

1. Find a fabulous, fun and colorful craft paper you love. Have this laminated.
2. Either cut out small sized pieces of paper or use tags and have them laminated.
3. With a dry erase marker draw your table and the amount of chairs needed for this particular gathering (the number might change everytime you entertain) on the large piece of paper.
4. On the tags, with your dry erase marker, write the attendees names.
5. Now, begin to place the name down around your table in a configuration that will produce holiday harmony.

This simple solution will help you entertain with ease and grace and foster fond memories and family harmony anytime you entertain, especially when emotions can run high during the holiday season.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away I thought I would share some simple solutions on creating graceful flow, family harmony, the gift of gratitude, and inspired happiness this holiday!

When you are in a state of graceful flow it is easy to feel gratitude. But, when the family begins to knock on the door and the gremlins of holiday’s past enter the scene, tension can wreak havoc on harmony and bliss. It is in these moments of disharmony that it is important to find balance and grace… or at least the ability to take a deep breath. Planning ahead can help tame the tension. Let’s look at some simple solutions to create a Home in Harmony during the first holiday of this festive season.

Expectations (yours and others) can cause inner angst. Tension has a tendency to run high during the holiday season. This is, in part, because of the expectations you have in your mind’s eye of how the holiday should be, how those around you should act, and how you should feel. Typically you have utopian dreams of the perfect family gathering, or have tensions tremors at the thought of interactions with your siblings (or whoever pushes your buttons). The first step to creating your own inner harmony (because you can only change your patterns, not the patterns of others) is to notice what your expectations are this season. Take some time to reflect on this.

You can create a graceful flow and influence the overall harmony by taking some simple steps as you set your Thanksgiving table—or any table for that matter! Create a “Mood Map” which consists of 2 steps.

• First, put a seating plan in place that will alleviate conflict at the table. If Aunt A doesn’t get along with In-Law-B ensure they don’t end up next to each other, which could increase the family drama.
• Next, consider who is lively and talkative and who is less sociable. Based on the Universal Law of Attraction typically like attracts like. The chatty people end up at one end of the table having a fabulously fun time and the other side of the table is quietly watching the scene.  Carefully consider who falls on which end of the spectrum and evenly distribute those that can carry a conversation around the table. This will bring balance and harmony to your gathering. Everyone will feel like they are part of the conversation and the fun!

Gratitude is the key to connecting to inner peace. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to share your feelings of gratitude with those around you. Create traditions that promote the expression of gratitude. One way to do this is to create place cards with each person’s name along with one reason you are grateful for that person being in your life and at your table. This helps bring harmony to your table by setting a positive vibe for all who sit down. It will warm hearts and let people know that they are appreciated. This is also a great conversation starter!

Pumpkins are analogous to fall, harvest festivals, Halloween and Thanksgiving. There are other natural elements that can also be used as accent décor to celebrate the autumnal season. Pinecones, acorns and foliage are three such seasonal decorative enhancers. The great thing about pinecones, acorns and colorful leaves is you can send the kids out on a hunt for the bounty of the season! They are sure to come back brimming with autumnal treasures, and a sense of pride at helping find the abundance of natural decorations.

These simple Home in Harmony Thanksgiving tips can help create fond memories, graceful flow, family harmony, and the gift of gratitude as you begin to navigate your way through the holiday season.

P.S…Pick up your copy of Home in Harmony: Designing an Inspired Life that will give you party planning & recipe ideas for your perfect gathering!  http://amzn.to/1w0tSgb

P.S.S… Did you schedule your FREE success strategy session so that I can help you design the home and life of your dreams? Click here and let’s get started. If not now, when?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Photo Credit: Veranda Magazine on Pinterest