One of the benefits of having youngish children is I get to see films like Monsters University and The Smurfs without needing to borrow random children to take with me. Don’t tell anyone but I’ve now seen Rise of the Guardians twice – it’s fab!

And it was the second time I watched it that I cottoned onto this idea of our core. At his core, Santa was about wonder. The Easter Bunny’s core was hope. And Jack Frost? His was fun.

And so this week, as we think about how to bring more delight into our day to day lives, I ask you … what’s at your core? What makes you, you?

Or another way to think about it … Imagine you’re a bottle of fizzy pop. If someone gives you a good old shake, what comes bubbling out the top?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about always being brilliant when stressed. I’d love to be someone who always has a smile on her face and speaks gentle words of encouragement when the kids are being a pain in the arse but that’s not my reality and I’d be lying if I suggested otherwise.

In the time it took me to write this email, I moaned at the children twice and pretended not to hear three minor squabbles in the hope that they’ll fix the strife themselves. Sometimes I’m a right grumpy old so and so. But I do aspire to better and that’s something at least eh 😉

I read a quote yesterday that said, “Success can heal us. It just amplifies who we are.”

The implication is that if we’re generally nice and kind and lovely, being successful will make us more nice and kind and lovely.

If we’re generally a bit mean and nasty, that will only be increased as we get more successful. (How you define ‘success’ is a whole other conversation of course.)

Understand though that I said ‘generally’. No one is nice and kind and lovely all of the time. It’s who you are ‘generally’ or most of the time that makes up your core.

God says that you’re his child, his work of art, someone that he loves so much, he’ll do anything to be with you. That’s a good place to start when thinking about who you are.

But what about if you want to get more specific? I mean, the picture God painted me to be looks different to the work of art that is you so it stands to reason that we should be able to dig a little to get an answer. So what if it’s about starting to notice?

Who are you and what do you want to stand for? Who do you choose to be in the world? What does you shining at your brightest look like?

You might not get a one word core like Santa, Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny but if you look at this with a sense of exploration and interest, you might be surprised with what you do come up with.

Give it a go and let me know what you come up with.