It’s the morning after… you open your eyes … you feel …

It’s entirely up to you how the story continues. You might feel a horrendous headache, shame and frustration because you made a fool of yourself at the office christmas party the night before …

Or you may feel absolutely fine, maybe a little bit more tired because you went to bed later than usual. But there’s no shame and there’s no frustration. Because you had a great time, you enjoyed the party and loved it.

You might also have some compassion for those colleagues who lost the plot a little, but overall you spark!

Office Christmas Party Stories

I was recently told a story about two colleagues who attended an official party for business purposes. By the end of the party, one of them was drunk. He started behaving so erratically that his colleague felt compelled to remove his name tag so that people wouldn’t know which company he represented.

The next day, the guy who had been drunk, had zero recollection of what had happened.

I have also heard stories about colleagues making out. About wardrobe malfunctions that led to the exposure of much more skin than anyone wanted to see and the list goes on.

Does it really have to be like this? Do you really need to completely lose control of yourself at the office Christmas party?

Is it worth compromising all the hard work that you did to get to where you are in your career?

These questions carry zero judgement. They are not rhetorical. They are for you. Should you ever be in a situation like that or run the risk of exposing yourself in such a way?

For All Tomorrow’s Parties

The office Christmas party is a time to celebrate a year of hard work and dedication to a common goal. It is a moment to celebrate accomplishments, your own and those of your colleagues, individually and collectively. Sparks all round!

So why spoil it? Why not spark brighter by partying the mindfulness way?

Set your intention: to have a lot of fun without embarrassing yourself.
Know your limit: 2-3 drinks combined with lots of water.
Choose your fix: coffee without sugar if you just that one drink that takes your over the edge. – not sure what this means here?
Nominate your person: pair up with a colleague andbe each other’s “soberadar” and let each other know when you start sliding down the slippery slop of having one drink too many.
Organise your exit the Cinderella way: no later than 1am, leave without saying bye to anyone, that way there’s no risk of being “persuaded” to stay for one more drink, which usually turns into one too many.

A Few More Questions To Ask Yourself

Before going to the office Christmas party, make yourself aware of:

• Whose party is it – your employer’s.
• What the purpose of the party is – to celebrate professional achievements.
• Why were you invited – you are an employee of the company.
• Who else is invited – your colleagues, business partners, clients, etc.
• What kind of function is it – work related.
• What do you risk – ruining your reputation.
• What might you harm – your career and your future.

Before you enter the party, please ask yourself: Is that one last drink truly worth it?

It’s the morning after … you open your eyes … you feel … so damn proud of yourself about the office Christmas party last night. Proud that you handled yourself… the mindful way!

SparkYourBloom Today and Everyday!