Episode 44: How The Grinch Saved Christmas
It’s the week before Christmas – how are you doing?
Do you feel more like Scrooge than a jolly old elf?
You’re not alone. So many find themselves feeling the added pressure of getting everything done so they can have a “magical” holiday to be just too much.
It’s OK. Take a breath.
The Grinch can help.
In this week’s episode, I dive deep into our favorite green holiday character and share his process for changing his outlook.
I also share my holiday gift with you.
What You’ll Learn:
- What we know about the Grinch and his thought patterns.
- How riding the Complain Train keeps you stuck.
- The Grinch’s process to changing his experience.
- How simple the steps are – and the transformation they create.
Listen to the episode above or stream it on your favorite podcast app:
I know you want your life to be different, you just don’t know how to get there. Don’t be like the Grinch and wait 53 years to make changes. Schedule a Strategy Call with me today and we’ll talk about how to give you the strength of 10 Grinches + 2.
Episode 44. How The Grinch Saved Christmas (Transcript)
You are listening to episode 44 of the Create What You Crave Podcast. The one that tells you the real story behind the Grinch. He didn’t steal it, he saved it.
Hey Hey Hey! Or should I say, Ho, Ho, Ho! How are you this week before Christmas?
I hope you’re doing well and not all stressed out because of all the things you think you still have to do. I’m recording this a couple of weeks before the holiday and I have to say I’m feeling pretty good about where I am in terms of readiness.
Over the past several years I’ve changed up my thinking on all things holidays and what my responsibilities are. I used to subscribe to the Martha Stewart way of celebrating – aka having it all perfect.
The tree. The decorations. The cookies. The food. The gifts.
Gahhhh! It was too much.
The pressure I put on myself on top of the pressure our society dishes out made me more like the Grinch than a jolly old elf.
Speaking of the Grinch, that is my favorite holiday cartoon of all. Truly. I adore that one and have been watching it since I was a very small child.
I’ve seen it so many times that I can recite the entire thing. You think I’m kidding on that. Trust me, I’m not. Just ask my kids. My oldest says he doesn’t know which is more fun – watching the cartoon or watching me lip-sync the cartoon.
I’ve dedicated this episode to clear up a myth about the Grinch stealing Christmas and showing you how shifting your thinking brings about a huge transformation.
The Story of The Grinch
In the beginning, we learn that every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-ville, did not.
No one knew why, but I do. You see, his head wasn’t screwed on just right – aka, his mindset.
His thoughts about Christmas caused his feeling of hatred because we know that our thoughts create how we feel, right?
However, the Grinch didn’t know that. He thought his C-line, his circumstances made him feel awful about the holiday. He ruminated about it all year, making himself feel even worse because he was stuck in the Spin Cycle of Negativity.
Here’s what Christmas looks like to The Grinch:
“Tomorrow, I know, all those Who girls and boys will wake bright and early,
they’ll rush for their toys. And then- Oh, the noise. Oh, the noise.
Noise, noise, noise. There’s one thing I hate. All the noise. Noise, noise, noise.”
His Circumstance:
Children playing with toys.
Remember, the C line is a fact, something we can prove. He can see children playing with toys. There’s no story with it.
His Thoughts:
Then he has thoughts about children playing with toys. Lots and lots of thoughts about that. And that creates a feeling of hate for him.
His Behavior:
His behavior is a direct result of that feeling and drives him to simmer and stew.
Another example
Circumstance: Whos sing in the town square. He has thoughts about that.
“And then they’ll do something I hate most of all.
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small will stand close together
with Christmas bells ringing. They’ll stand hand in hand, and those Whos will start singing.”
Because he has so many low-value thoughts about the holiday and the people who live in the town below his mountain home, he spends a ton of time plotting and complaining.
The Result:
The result he gets year after year is a rotten holiday experience.
Then he tries to create the same ugliness for the people of the town. He takes all their decorations, their gifts, the log for their fire and their food.
The one speck of food he left in the house was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse.
He’s allowing his unintentional thoughts – those primitive brain thoughts – to run his life and everything he experiences is a direct result of it. He’s not happy. He’s not enjoying life and living it to the fullest. He doesn’t have a gratitude practice he does regularly.
It’s pretty miserable, would you agree?
Complaining sometimes feels good, I get that. I do it, we all do. It’s when it becomes a habit for how we deal with all the things life offers – positive and not so positive – that’s when it becomes self-defeating.
We look for others to commiserate with, who will agree that whatever we’re bitching about does truly suck and poor us.
It’s not an empowering way to show up in the world and it keeps you in the deep-end of the drama pool.
So how did the Grinch save Christmas?
He changed his thinking.
He was all ready to dump the huge sleigh filled with the Whos’ holiday festivities off the top of Mt. Crumpit.
“He paused.
And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound
rising over the snow.
It started in low…
…then it started to grow.”
He heard singing and something inside him stopped him in his tracks.
That inner wise leader. That inner wisdom that we all have lets us know what’s in alignment with who we really are.
- He realized he didn’t have control over anything or anyone else.
- He realized that what he believed about this holiday wasn’t useful or true.
He questioned his thoughts:
“How could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore.”
That’s what you do when you want to make significant shifts to your mindset.
You question the thinking that got you where you are right now and decide what thoughts you want to keep and those you want to change. You get curious and ask yourself more questions.
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Once you do this and spend some time on it, you land on the thought that works for you. The one that creates the feeling you want to feel – so powerful.
“And then the true meaning of Christmas came through and the Grinch found the strength of 10 Grinches plus two.” The Grinch saved Christmas – for himself.
Lessons From The Grinch
- Show up differently: So when you begin practicing that new thought and feel the feeling that goes with it, you show up differently.
- Stop doing things that don’t serve you: You stop doing things that don’t serve you and start doing things that do.
- You don’t focus on circumstances: The circumstances don’t matter anymore, because your results are showing you have all the power you need to make a transformation inside you.
Several years ago, I wrote a little poem about the holiday season, and it speaks to how I feel about this time of year. It’s a fitting end to this episode. I hope you love it.
Recipe for a happy holiday – by Barbara Churchill
T’was the week before Christmas and all through the house
Not a cookie was baking, which saddened my spouse.
The stockings are hung on the mantel with string,
With hopes that iTunes gift cards, Santa would bring.
The children, all older, are out with their friends
While I make my shopping list with my favorite pen.
The hubby is lounging all snug with the dog,
And I grab two mugs and pour out some egg nog.
When I heard a small voice, very soft in my ear,
Tell a recipe for happiness this holiday year.
It spoke not of shopping or spending or gifts,
But of laughter and loving and things that uplift.
“Don’t worry and fret, slow down and be present,
Breathe deeply and notice the season – how pleasant.”
But how can this be? I have so much to do!
And the voice simply said, “Let’s try something new.”
“Let go of must haves and old shoulds and have tos,
Quit doing and buying and trying to accrue.
Stop rushing and running – don’t be in a hurry,
Embrace this season and know you are worthy.”
“How much baking and wrapping gets done just won’t matter;
The real reason for Christmas is not about the latter.
So sit back and relax, be yourself and have fun,
Open up, let joy in and embrace a loved one.”
Well I couldn’t believe what my ears had just heard,
Could it be that my plans were completely absurd?
Then I paused and looked ‘round and I knew (‘cuz I’m smart),
That the recipe for happiness begins in my heart.
Have a wonderful holiday and until next time, remember:
I believe in you.