The holidays are tough for many reasons; the media focuses on how stressful it can be to be around family, falling into deeply ingrained patterns and roles.

Creatively, they can be challenging because many of the routines and habits that keep you creating get paused. Everyone else is resting. Resting well is important. But the holidays are nothing if not extreme, and it's hard to find a balance between rest and staying creatively engaged.

A perspicacious coach friend of mine Betsy once told me "When in doubt, do less and be more." Somehow, the way she phrased it stuck with me, and now it's a kernel of truth that I revisit every time I'm trying to do too much.

During this break, I definitely overloaded on "be". Getting back on the "do" horse is taking some time.

Take Frank Sinatra's advice and switch off for balance: Do Be Do Be Do. :)