I nearly died yesterday.

I was walking across the road and a P plater came flying down the road well over the speed limit and nearly collected me.

In fact, if I hadn’t looked up and stopped at the exact time I did, I might not be writing this message to you today.

Admittedly, I was walking while on my mobile phone and not paying as much attention to what I was doing as I should have been.

Now that’s not the normal way you would open up a Christmas message, but I think it’s really important for all of us to pay attention, particularly at this time.

Because things really can happen in an instant, can’t they?

Every year, we hear stories about babies and toddlers falling into swimming pools – it happens in an instant – and it’s devastating.

Every year, dozens of people die from car accidents which could have been avoided, particularly over this period.

More couples break up over the holiday periods.

And more people see psychologists and counselors over this period.

So pay attention to what you are doing. Stay present and in the moment. And stay safe.

Ok, now that I have got my safety message out of the way, let me tell you what I love about this period and how taking time out and enjoying yourself can even help you improve your business.

Personally, I love this time of the year because it gives me a chance to catch up with family and friends… to reflect… to give… and to have some downtime.

I will personally be away from lunchtime today until the 11th January, so it should be a nice break with lots of visits to the beach with my family… a few days in Darling Harbour showing my “little man” all the theme parks… and an opportunity to get plenty of the vitamin D from the sun.

I want to finish the year by saying a big thank you to everyone who has sent me emails throughout the year… to everyone who has invested in my products… to everyone who has shared a little of themselves… and to everyone who has taken the words I have shared and implemented them in their lives.

I may not have the time to respond to every email I receive, but I can tell you personally that I LOVE RECEIVING them and I LOVE WRITING THESE EMAILS.

And you can be certain that there will be more great ideas coming your way in January.

I heard a year or two ago that Bill Gates used to feel guilty about taking time off for holidays.

Until he started to think of this time as creative time for your brain to come up with ideas.

Now I don’t feel guilty about taking holidays. In my view, we all need recovery times, especially those of us in business who work so hard week in and week out.

But I am aware of the fact that when you take time off, when you relax and chill out… you go into what’s called your ‘alpha’ brain waves and ideas come to you.

So make sure you carry around a little notepad with you over the holidays because ideas can be like slippery fish – you gotta catch them while you can

Merry Christmas… Happy Hanukkah & Happy Holidays