Happy Sunday Everyone:
Sunday Thoughts coming from Sun Valley, Idaho. Locals will hate me for sharing but this place is insanely amazing.
Final Sunday Thoughts of 2018. I don’t have a topic per se as much as a review of 2018, which I think is worth all of us taking inventory on the year. What went well, what didn’t, where did we grow, where did we shrink, what did we learn, what lessons came from the year, what do we want 2019 to look like (outside of saying “great and positive”), although that’s not a bad start.
So for me, just some bullets I took away from 2018:
* 2018 wasn’t as much as a growth year for me as it was a learning year. Would be great if I could say it was both but I think I learned more about what I want through understanding what I don’t want, through a combination of both positive/negative experiences/evens.
* I certainly wouldn’t say I’ve matured but at 44 and watching friends/family around me experience things that were hard to watch, the cliché of “this life isn’t a dress rehearsal” is in effect and living well in my head right now. Helps me prioritize my decisions and list out what is important to me, and what is not.
* Just because you have advice to give doesn’t mean you should give it.
* Put trust in people that genuinely care about you and have your best interest in mind. Do not be affected by people who do not and continue to tune your radar to understand the difference.
* My kids learn more through example than words (DUH).
* If I/we can figure out how to keep our words impeccable (without sin) to ourselves and to others, life will be better. I will be working on this in 2019. I know I just read the book (four agreements) but just being aware of my own gossip, my own judgement, it’s amazing how many negative conversations I’ve flushed in the last week because I toss out the words before they come out of my mouth. This is something I need to continue to work on. The other 3 agreements in the book, “don’t take things personal”, “don’t assume”, and “always do your best”, are so simple but something I’ll be thinking about a lot in 2019.
* A positive morning routine changes my world daily. Similar to the concept of “make your bed”, no matter what is happening in a day, the comfort of knowing I cranked out my positive morning routine settles my mind. For me, reading, mediating, exercise, journaling, that’s it.
* highlight books when you read them, go back and review them. Favorite books for 2018 for me, “Willpower doesn’t work”, “Living with a seal”, “The four agreements”.
* I’m not sure if it’s “the world”, or “my world”, but things seem to be getting more complicated, I need to be purposeful in keeping it simple. Simple is better than complicated.
* if you do the right thing most of the time (should be all the time), things will work out. If someone burns you, don’t change course on doing the right thing.
* Focus on what I have vs. what I don’t have. I don’t mean in material, but in life. I think we all do this a lot. Count your blessings, they’re typically going to outweigh 10 to 1. This helps with a gratitude journal.
* Seek wise counsel. Similar to what I said above, be more purposeful with your own personal board of directors around finance, life, faith, growth, relationship, health, etc…
* Favorite quote I heard in 2018 that I’ll carry with me forever, and not 100% sure where it came from but “The grass isn’t green on the other side, the grass is greener where you water it”. So simple, and so true.
My themes for 2019, which I consider very different than a resolution, is gratitude and health. The more purposeful I am with having and finding the gratitude in everything I do, the better my world will become, and hopefully those around me. As for health, I’m just ready to be healthier. I’ve never considered my health a priority outside of how I look physically, which is sad to say, and pretty stupid, but I’m ready now and it will be a primary focus for 2019.
I hope you can take a little time for you personally to think about what you want 2019 to look like. Not just business planning etc….but what would bring you joy/satisfaction throughout the year if you were purposeful focused on it daily.
Be safe and Happy New Years.