The Real Gifts to Give

Author: Darcy Eikenberg

Author: Darcy Eikenberg

A few months ago, I really looked forward to this December, deciding I'd take full advantage of the holidayseason. I wanted to make a gingerbread house; I wanted to linger in new stores and find creative, surprising gifts; I wanted to bake cookies for my wonderful neighbors. But my neighbors arestill cookie-less (and will likely remain so--sorry, guys.)The gingerbread house just exists in my head. Thankfully, my sister visited in October and we did some store lingering then and bought each other gifts. Nosurprises, but no stresses, either. Maybe I won't get to recreate all the greeting-card images I wanted to this year. But I can plan to give some real gifts--gifts that won't need to be returned, are always appreciated, and are always the right size, no matter how much peppermint bark you consume. I hope youdecideto give some of these gifts, too, to the people you work and live with. (They've been very good this year.) ". . .as the shoppers rush home with their treasures,"sings Bing in "Silver Bells."What treasures, I wonder? I can't find a product in anyshop window thatappropriately recognizes what's been a watershed year for most of us. After watching friends and family go through the greatest workplace and lifestyle changes inrecent history, it seems cheesy to give a store-bought gift.So, as I look back on this year, here's the list I've made ofreal gifts I can giveto everyone on my list. The Gift of Showing Up. One thing I've learned in 2009 is that sometimes, justshowing up in person is meaningful.Meeting forcoffee instead of justplaying phone tagcan make a huge diffference to acolleague, job seeker, or overwhelmed friend. Showing up at the reunion, business conference, party or even funeral--people notice--and appreciate--your presence even if nothing remarkable is said or done. The Gift of Perspective. Earlier this year, a friend caught me holding back on myopinions and ideas, trying not offend anyone.That's a losing battle. I recognized I do have something to say, and Iwill alwayshave a point-of-view. When it's needed, I'll give you the gift of my perspective. However, you're an adult--you're free to take it and use it-- or to justignore it (likeyou did the Zac Effron mittens I gave you last year.) The Gift of Hands.A lot of peopleoffer you good ideas foryour work and life. That's great. ButI'll also lend you my hands. The best ideas deserveto be set into motion, and sometimes, that just needs tangible action --fingers on a keyboard, legs on the pavement, arms around a torso. The hands can pick up where the head leaves off. The Gift of a Giggle. The bellylaughs came few and far between in 2009. I'm not even sure I saw a movie that truly made me laugh out loud. But there were smiles and chuckles that came up,sometimes just assimple acknowledgements of the silliness of our workplaces, our society, and our families.I'll stop trying to be so serious and start giving good giggle. The Gift of Words. No matter how much we edit them to 140 character messagesor vowel-less texts, words still matter. "Thank you" makes an impact. "Great job" says volumes."I appreciate you. . .trust you . . .am grateful for you. . ." Can anyone tire of gifts like that? Writing, speaking, and really meaning our words makes a gift no one will forget. That's my list of real gifts for 2009.Others on my list are time, patience, energy, enthusiasm, listening, appreciation, and of course, love and joy. Now where do I find a box to fit all of those?? What's on your list?About the Author:

Darcy Eikenberg is president and chief creative officer of Coach Darcy LLC, a professional coaching, mentoring, and talent development firm based in Atlanta. She is an accomplished coach, consultant, facilitator and business leader with over 20 years of experience in motivating individual, team, and organizational behavior that achieves business results. You can reach her by visiting www.coachdarcy.com, or at 404.313.0278.

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