Valinvest Blog + News: The One Thing Christmas Was Trying to Teach Us

Christmas Isn't About Magic. It's About Devotion.

By Vishen Lakhiani

Christmas has become a moment.

A feeling we try to manufacture.
A mood we chase for a few days.
A brief pause before life speeds up again.

But if you look closely, if you strip away the lights, the gifts, the songs, the consumerism, what you find underneath Christmas is something far older and far more powerful.

Ritual.

And ritual is how human beings have practiced devotion for thousands of years.

One of my favorite rituals happens every year without fail: putting up the Christmas tree with my kids.

I took a photo just a few nights ago. It was 1 AM. I walked into the living room and found my daughter and her best friend, who was sleeping over, mesmerized by the lights on the tree.

I think this may be my favorite picture of 2025.

The tree wasn't a decoration.

It was a ritual.

An act of devotion.

Something we do as a family every year, not because it achieves anything, but because it anchors us.

The Forgotten Power of Devotion

In my upcoming book, Becoming Unfuckwithable, I talk about devotion not as religion or sacrifice, but as applied love over time.

Devotion to a cause.
Devotion to an ideal.
Devotion to your health.
Devotion to your children.
Devotion to your craft.
Devotion to your inner life.

It doesn't matter what the object of devotion is.

What matters is this:

Devotion makes us stronger because it removes negotiation.

When you are devoted, you don't wake up asking, "Do I feel like it today?"

You wake up knowing who you are. And you act accordingly.

Why Rituals Were Never About Results

Here's something the modern world has quietly forgotten:

Rituals are not about what you get.

They never were.

Why do we make our bed every morning, knowing full well we're going to mess it up again at night?

Why do we spend hours choosing Christmas gifts, only to watch the wrapping paper torn apart in seconds?

Why do we hit the gym day after day, even though progress is slow, incremental, sometimes invisible?

If you look at these behaviors purely through the lens of efficiency, they make no sense.

And that's the point.

Rituals were never designed to be efficient.

They were designed to be formative.

They shape us.

Ritual Is Identity in Motion

Ancient cultures didn't rely on motivation.

They relied on structure.

You didn't meditate when you felt inspired.

You prayed when the bell rang.

You didn't train when you were in the mood.

You trained because that's what warriors did.

You didn't ask whether a ritual was "worth it."

You performed it because it reminded you who you were.

Ritual locks identity into the body.

And identity is far more powerful than willpower.

The Modern Trap: "What Do I Get?"

Somewhere along the way, we turned everything into a transaction.

We started asking:

What do I get from this workout?
What do I get from this relationship?
What do I get from this habit?
What do I get from this practice?

But devotion collapses the moment it becomes transactional.

Rituals don't ask for guarantees.

They don't promise outcomes.

They don't negotiate with the ego.

They simply say:

Show up anyway.

And in doing so, they free us from the exhausting cycle of chasing, quitting, restarting, and judging ourselves.

Christmas as a Devotional Technology

This is why Christmas endures.

Not because of theology.

Not because of tradition.

But because, once a year, it forces ritual back into our lives.

We slow down.
We gather.
We give without keeping score.
We show up for people we love,even when it's inconvenient.

For a brief moment, we remember what it feels like to live from devotion instead of demand.

The tragedy isn't that Christmas ends.

The tragedy is that we don't carry its structure forward.

A Modern Ritual for an Ancient Need

If there's one thing I've learned, it's this:

You don't need grand practices to become unfuckwithable.

You need small rituals you don't negotiate with.

Five minutes of stillness each morning. A daily walk.
Writing one paragraph. Preparing food with care. Training your body consistently. Showing up for your kids, fully present.

Not because it guarantees success.

But because it guarantees alignment.

And alignment compounds.

Devotion Is What Remains When Motivation Is Gone

Motivation is emotional. Emotion is unstable.

Devotion is structural. And structure outlives emotion.

This is why devotion to a practice, a value, or a way of living creates something deeper than achievement.

It creates character.

And character is what makes you unfuckwithable.

One Small Ritual to Carry Into the New Year

If there's one thing I'd invite you to take into the new year, it's not a goal.

It's one small ritual.

Not something impressive.
Not something you'll post about.
Not something that needs willpower.

Just one steady, repeatable act you don't negotiate with.

It might be as simple as this:

Taking your supplements every morning: unrushed, intentional, present. Not because supplements change your life, but because how you do small things trains who you are.
Sitting cross-legged on the same sofa every morning for five minutes of stillness. Same place. Same posture. Just you, breathing, showing up.
Stepping outside at 8 a.m. every day for a short walk to get sunlight. Same route. At the same time. Letting your body relearn rhythm.
Writing a two-minute note of appreciation to one colleague or teammate before you start your workday. No agenda. No feedback. Just an acknowledgement.

None of these rituals will go viral.
None of them will look dramatic.

And that's exactly why they work.

Because devotion doesn't need intensity. It needs consistency.

The ritual isn't about what it produces. The ritual is the point.

Show up for it long enough, and something subtle but powerful begins to happen:
your nervous system calms, your identity stabilizes, and life starts to feel less like something you're chasing, and more like something you're inhabiting.

That's how change really happens.
Quietly.
Daily.
Without applause.

So this Christmas, instead of resolutions, try something different.

Choose one small ritual.

Make it steady.
Make it repeatable.
Make it unyielding.

Not to get something.

But to be someone.

That's devotion.

And devotion, practiced quietly, daily, without applause, is how ordinary humans become extraordinary.

Merry Christmas. May you remember who you are and rise.

P.S. Exciting Upcoming Live Events

Before the year comes to a close, I just want to pause and say thank you.

Over the past six days, nearly 10,000 of you have been showing up with me every single day for the 7 Sacred States Challenge.

Watching the comments, the reflections, the breakthroughs, it's been deeply moving.

Today, on Christmas Eve, we completed the challenge with the final session, and I genuinely loved spending this time with you each day.

If you've been part of it, thank you for your presence.

And if you haven't yet joined,

You can still catch today's live session (last day of the challenge) by signing up here.

(You will immediately receive an email to join the session live on zoom that's starting in next 1 hour, at 8 AM LA / 4 PM London today, Dec 24, 2025)

Now, what's next?

Between now and December 31st, I'll be hosting two additional live masterclasses I'd love to invite you to:

1. A live presentation about your 2026 Mastery Journey. (Free LIVE event)

Happening on Dec 26, this 60 min session is on making 2026 the year you master both your inner world and outer reality. We will be sharing something special about Spiritual & Manifesting Mastery Programs for you and an exclusive opportunity on how you can get both the programs with significant savings.

Register for 2026 Mastery Journey here

2. Create your Lifebook for 2026 & beyond. (Free LIVE event)

Happening on Dec 28: a focused 90-minute live session where I'll help you see what you truly want in your life. We'll look at why goal-setting keeps failing, do a live-life-assessment together to reveal which areas need attention and which areas are already working for you, guide you through a short future-visioning experience, and show you how to start creating your own Lifebook for 2026 and beyond, for free.

Register for Lifebook here

If any of these speak to you, I'd love to have you there.

This end-of-year window is sacred and I'm grateful to be sharing it with you.

And, I'd love to hear from you: leave a comment on the blog and tell me which of these live sessions you're most excited for, or simply share what's alive in your heart right now.

With Love,

Vishen