Every Wednesday, I share my thoughts on Learning and Professional Development.

With less than two weeks until Christmas, life sometimes feels like it’s spinning out of control.  The calendar calls for a "yearly review", a chance to pause and shine a light on the year’s accomplishments and challenges.  But gifts to buy and wrap, parties to attend, and the myriad other holiday details keep us hopping.  I feel like it’s a chore to find the time to fit my workout in, let alone spend time pondering personal development or enrichment.  The thing is, I can’t "punt" the next two weeks - they are too critical to be spent unproductively.  But I also don’t want to miss out on spending this precious time with my family, so I’ve spent some time today pondering how to make the most of the little time I can spare during the upcoming days. 

Here are a few of my conclusions for how I can still fit learning and personal empowerment into these happy, yet hectic, holidays:

• Listen and Learn - I have several podcasts I enjoy, and this is the perfect season to be an auditory learner.  In fact, a trip to the mall can provide the perfect half hour for a podcast professional development seminar and a two mile walk all in one.
• Learn Seasonally - Today, I wrote a freelance article on multi-cultural Christmas celebrations.  I not only learned several new traditions I can share with my kids (such as attending a "Posada"), but also picked up some new ethnic recipes, a few foreign language phrases and learned the location of the region of Moravia. 
• Learn from the Best - If you know your time is limited, it’s ok to scale back on the usual reading you do.  Prioritize your visits to your tried and true resources - those who consistently inspire and uplift you and encourage you to try to do better today than you did yesterday.
• Learn from your Family - Some of life’s most valuable lessons have been taught to me by my children:  Be patient.  Hugs always feel good.  Sometimes a nap can help put things into perspective.  Get along with whoever brought the ball.  Take time to play.

Learning can happen even in the midst of mistletoe madness - don’t take the next two weeks off from your drive to be your personal best.  Just embrace this time and be on the lookout for life lessons - they are everywhere.  Strike up a chat with the guy standing next to you in that long holiday line at the post office …who knows what you might learn!