When I was a small child, my Grandmother used to read me bedtime stories. She was a wonderful woman, full of imagination. She just made them up as she went along and created this fantasy world. She spurred in me the love for stories.

As a young girl, I enjoyed reading and writing a lot. I used to subscribe to a book club about horse books, and then I would read them all the way through as soon as they arrived in my mailbox. The stories I enjoyed the most were the stories where the horse was the main character, and where we could see the world through his/her eyes.

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Christmas is always a joyous time of giving in our house. There is hardly anyone in the family who does not join in the fun of finding the perfect gift for someone else.

Finding the perfect gift is some challenge, and usually requires a great deal of thought. It is unique and personal. When chosen wisely, such a gift will not only fill the recipient’s heart with joy, but also strike a deeper nerve that connects with the soul, and turn  it into a beautiful memory that the receiver can cherish for years to come.

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Christmas – what a joyful time of giving. My family takes this very seriously, and there is barely a person that does not join in the fun of giving. I myself received several presents this Christmas – a lot to be exact.

But the greatest joy by far was for me to see the joy in my children’s eyes when Santa Claus showed up at our house on Christmas Evening (here in Norway, we celebrate Christmas on the 24^th).

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At the end of every year, I take time to look back and evaluate the year that has passed. I take a few hours to track my progress, evaluate my achievements, and take note of what had happened.

It is at times like these that I often feel the urge towards negativity. I tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full. I lean towards the hardships of the year, rather than focusing on all the accomplishments and incredible times of happiness I had.

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Oh how wonderful ‘tis the time of Christmas. We all have very vivid memories of this wonderful occasion that have been imprinted in our minds since childhood. I’m sure we can all share a story about our favorite Christmas memories…

But with all the things that are going on during the weeks before, one can easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle, and forget what Christmas is really about.

Everybody is in a great hurry in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Food is being prepared and gifts are wrapped. Decorations are put on display and nativity performances are being rehearsed.

Even at work, we find ourselves mingling at Christmas parties and meals, and co-workers share stories of the gifts they are buying for their loved ones.

With all the things that are going on, it is so easy to lose touch with the real reason we celebrate Christmas…

I had a wake-up call like this the other day. I had to learn to pause a while to get myself into that true Christmas feeling. I had to put my life “on hold” in order to discover what Christmas is really about, once again.

So let me share with you this wonderful story…

My little kids attend a kindergarten here in Norway, and we as parents were invited along on a Christmas celebration. We all packed a backpack with our necessities and headed out on a hike into the woods. Everybody wore Santa hats.

It was around dusk when we started hiking. Several people in the group were carrying fire torches with them, and as the sun was setting, they lit the torches to provide light for our feet.

We soon got to a big Christmas tree, decorated with lanterns, candles, glittering balls and flags! Oh, how beautiful it was!

Porridge and syrup was served to us, and we enjoyed a wonderful hot meal together. The children picked up their torches and started walking around the Christmas tree, singing, “We light our torches.” It was an amazing experience, and I got goosebumps as they marched around!

And finally, out of the blue, Santa Claus appeared. He came walking out of the woods, holding a lantern in one hand and a big bag on his back.

The kids cheered as they saw Santa! He chanted, “Ho, ho, ho” as he shook hands with the children and started handing out gifts to everyone!

It was such an awesome experience, one that I will never forget! The meeting in the woods created the perfect atmosphere for me to get into the right mood for Christmas once again – a feeling that I have not experienced for a few years.

So, this Christmas, take time to rediscover Christmas. Slow down, calm down, and settle in to get into the Christmas feeling! You will thank yourself for it…

This is the second post in a two-part series on public speaking. Read the first post here.

As mentioned in the first blog post in this series, I was always terribly afraid of public speaking. In school, I dreaded having to read aloud in front of others. It sent shivers down my spine and gave me nightmares.

When I became leader of my family’s company at the age of 28, this fear did not get any better. I was still terribly afraid of speaking, but now I had to lead and inspire an entire workforce under me. Somehow, I had to learn to stand up to my fear.

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This is the first post in a two-part series on public speaking. Read the second post here.

Ever since I was a little girl (about 6 years old), I have had a nerve-wrecking fear of speaking in front of others. The fear that it instilled in me was so great that even the fear of death became second in my mind…

As usual, my first experience in public speaking came along in school where we had to read in front of the entire class. How I dreaded every class in elementary school! When my turn came around, my mouth went dry and my forehead got all sweaty. I couldn’t do it!

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My computer is 7 years old and has been showing messages regarding trouble in the bios lately, so I had to buy a new one. I ordered one with Windows 8 on it, even though my husband warned me that it would be a big change.

And sure enough, the challenges started as soon as it arrived.

Suddenly, I realized that my whole life was on my old computer. And moreover, it dawned on me that copying my life over to the new one wasn’t going to be an easy task at all.

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February 2015 has been a really rough time for me. During that time, I was plagued with sleepless nights and my mind continuously raced in circles. You know that feeling when you wake up in the middle of the night with your mind constantly replaying a problem over and over again. That is what I felt.

The fact that it was dark outside and that the clock was slowly ticking towards my time to get out of bed was not helping one little bit.

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