It's been great time of family, friends and a lot of "thanks-giving." Wonderful appreciation and generosity to go all around. It is all so heartwarming.

With the multitude of acts of appreciation and kindness, it gave me pause to think - is this something we DO, or is it WHO WE ARE that prompts the act of doing?

What is the real difference between "doing" and "being."

OK. I guess I'm getting a lil "heady" here, but stay with me. Coaches regularly work on getting our clients to strengthen their "WHO" as this is what drives their actions, or their "DO's."

The bottom line is that when we are clear on WHO we are, the actions become much more natural, and most likely more simple. And the WHO we are takes us directly to a discussion of our values. The clearer we are on our values, the more congruent our actions, thoughts and words.

• A generous person will do generous acts, because it is WHO he or she is — part of their being.
• A person may DO a generous act, even though it might not be a value he or she lives.

Both work. It's just that one may come easier because the value drives the action. And we could all use a little more "easier" during this holiday season and all year long!

That's the subject of our newsletter this month, so read on for some more nuggets on how to gain clarity on your values and make your "DO'ing" a little easier!

Five Tips to Integrity: Intention or Action? (10 second read)

Having Integrity is Harder than you Think (20 second read)

Core Beliefs of Mentally Strong People (20 second read)

Let your Values Drive Your Choices Huffington Post article (30 second read)

"Your beliefs become your thoughts,
 Your thoughts become your words,
 Your words become your actions,
 Your actions become your habits,
 Your habits become your values,
 Your values become your destiny."
— Mahatma Gandhi

TAKE ACTION: As you prepare for 2017, write your values. Do it before you create your goals or resolutions for the year. Write them in the present, as an example "I am financially sound."

Here's a tool for you to use.