The holidays are coming to an end and a new year is beginning. This time of year always leads to reflection on the year that has passed and what we want to create in the year to come. 

Before we get to the new year, I'd like to reflect on the gifts we've been given over the last year, the holidays, and our lives.

Holiday Gifts

Sometimes the things we are gifted are just "things" but sometimes they're so much more than that.

Think about the gifts you've given or received that meant something to you. The things that brought tears to your eyes or made you feel understood. The things that aren't just "stuff" that you unwrap and put aside but the things that you hold close for one reason or another. In North America, by and large we are a blessed people who have the means to decide what we wear and who we are. We often end up buying ourselves all the things we want or create gift lists to make sure we end up with exactly what we wanted. 

But what about the things we weren't searching for but happen to be what we need in that moment? Maybe it's a book that touches a part of you that felt hidden or even a lip color that brings out a side of you that felt lost.

When it comes to Happy Rebel and our products, that's what I'm trying to cultivate. Something that feels like more, that is brought into the world with intention, and that is gifted to yourself or others because of a connection or the idea of one. Maybe this is too much to ask and I know it might not be the case for everyone who hits "purchase" on this site, but it's enough to know that just one person out there holds that same ideal and simply wants to support the idea of Happy Rebel.

Personal Gifts

We are all born with our own special combination of gifts, talents, and abilities. Some of these aren't discovered for years and some seem to magically open up overnight. 

I once heard someone say that they assume every single person has some amazing, Olympic-level talent in them, it's just that they may never interact with or have the chance to develop that talent. This made me so sad but also so full of hope and possibility. Could it be that I just haven't discovered my special talent(s) yet? Maybe I just need to try doing literally EVERYTHING and then I will see what I am truly the best at.

But then I realized that talents and gifts could also be a slow burn. Things that take years or even decades to develop. Like Michael Jordan, I could have a natural gift but that gift could need the nurturing of 10,000 hours to become so ingrained that I can call upon the gift and trust that it will answer. 

I think for most of us, this is the way our gifts become known. We follow the path of something that fills our cup and just keep working so that the gift is felt as each breath we take. 

Generational Gifts

These are the gifts we are given through our genetics, our culture, our past, and our nature.

Generational gifts are a newer concept to me but their other side of generational trauma, is not. There has been much research in the last decade about inherited, or generational, trauma. The changes in our brain, body, and human operating systems that happen as a result of traumatic experiences and are passed on to future generations. 

If this concept is true, which science and data has shown us it is, then why can't generationally passed down "gifts" also be true? We see talents and personality traits from one generation to the next, sometimes skipping around but sometimes ignored. 

I was asked recently to see if I could point to generational limiting beliefs, the things that my ancestors passed on that were holding us back, but also if their were generational giftings, the beliefs or traits that helped in some way.

One that came easily was our sense of humor. On both sides of my family laughter was there to get through hard times and truly acted as a source of medicine for heartaches or pain. Even the day after my grandpa died, our family sat around telling stories and laughing about his antics. We laughed through the tears and it helped heal our loss. 

Now what?

There are gifts we give to ourselves and others, acts of service or physical items, but what about the gifts that you were given naturally? Or the gifts that take time to develop? 

I hope you take some time to think about the wonderful things you bring to your piece of the world and who you share those gifts with. 

Stay Rebellious Happy Rebels,

- Kelly