2023’s mantra were the following three things:
Be the Compassion and Wisdom Someone Else Needs
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Remember to Play, For There You Are
It is shortsighted to believe that nothing needs changing in our work and personal lives. Everything can be going great, yet something always needs tweaking. We just have to give ourselves the opportunity and freedom to change.
Truly, I kept these in mind throughout the whole year. I tweaked, and I was not always successful, but hopefully there were more times I was able to encourage someone who needed it, through a hug or smile or simple kindness.
What’s on the mantra for 2024?
I typically do not play the games that pop up on FaceBook but I saw one that intrigued me. I keep my personal FaceBook page personal. If I have not shared a meal, then I do not accept the FB request. What that means is that most of my FaceBooks friends have known me for a very very long time.
So, it was dangerous when I put this viral post out there: “Leave a positive word I can carry for 2024 that starts with the first letter of your name.” You probably saw that post on many of your friend’s pages.
Though the results were somewhat skewed because of the first letter requirement, the results were still intriguing. I took my friends’ words for me and created an image with those words to sail me into 2024. Not my words for my year ahead, but others’ for me.
We never know the difference we make in someone’s life just by smiling. Saying a kind word should be effortless on our part. When I speak on ethics, many times I will have the audience turn to each other and say hi. Then I will have them say hi as if they were a long lost friend, they had not seen in years, that they were so excited to see. The eye brows are raised, their eyes are lit up, their grins are from ear to ear. When someone gets a greeting like that, it fuels the heart for the rest of the day.
Let me be direct. [I can hear my clients and audience attendees chuckle at that] Our family, our friends, our team members, our patients, our society need us to throw off all the self directed concerns that occupy our brain’s bandwidth and show kindness even when we do not feel like it.
Life is not about you. Rick Warren wrote that line long after that became my life mantra, shared with many. It has reminded me that it is a time waster to whine about how my life has turned out differently than I planned. It has but life moves on and I choose to live a life worthy of living fully!
I am excited about the upcoming year! There are some pretty great things already in the works, including book #49.
I do not expect 2024 to be easy but I will approach it with laughter, courage, thankfulness, kindness, caring, dreams, vibrancy, aspiration, mindfulness, putting on gratitude, patience, cheerfulness, joy, strength and so much more. The one that I have to constantly work on is patience. I am fairly certain it will take longer than one year!