2024 brought me some quirky additions for my toolkit for life— dry erasers to inspire appreciation, middle restroom stalls and their surprising cleanliness, and a hot spoon to soothe mosquito bites. This list is a turn-of-the-year reminder that small, mindful actions and perhaps a little humor make all the difference.
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Keep one or two dry erasers in your bag. Write motivational messages on the bathroom mirror for your partner, kids or colleagues!
Statistically fewer people use the middle stalls in a public restroom - so they are likely to be cleaner* than those on the ends… (*for a given value of clean)
Grief Groceries: IF a friend loses a loved one, they struggle to ask for help (and it's when they often need it the most) Call or message them to find out when they will be at home - and send them two bags of groceries - frozen pizza, cookies, bread rolls, ready to heat meals. Easy food - or comfort food.
How good are your friendships? What Good Friends Look Like (beehiiv.com)
Life is more interesting when you see every person as someone sent to teach you something
I have written about Future Me where you can send your future self letters in the future. https://www.futureme.org/letters/new. Here's a new take - write the letter to yourself, dated a year from now - thanking yourself for all the things you have achieved in the past year. Write it in the past tense. Be detailed about what goals you've attained - better relationships, health, mindset, job, housing etc.
You don’t need the beach of tropical back drop but this breathing technique is excellent Learn the Humming Bee Breath Technique - Bhramari Pranayama | Yoga
Random advice form a 90 year old, “Do one good deed every single day, but never tell anyone about it.”
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same
Drink much less alcohol
Find a course that teaches breathing: Wim Hoff, Pranayama Yoga, Box breathing, Tai Chi, whichever. Try it for a month and see what it does for you
A ringing phone or a message notification is an invitation not a command
Make time for yourself and spend it alone - time without anyone else speaking or interrupting you. Try your local library, park, temple or church
Remember: All success is a lagging indicator
Socrates: Beware the barrenness of a busy life
Creative block? Can’t find the words, idea or approach to take? Put on some music and dance to a song for a few minutes. Now try again…
If your company has an EAP, use it before you're in crisis (it's a subscription not an insurance policy to claim against…)
Keep an energy diary for a month. What energized you? What depletes you? Now what are you going to do with those insights?
Make plans, but when things change going with the flow can be just as good
When working toward a goal, don't go more than 2 days without doing the desired action(s)
If you server has a name tag, use their name when you interact with them. Stretch goal: if they don’t have a name tag, ask their name and use it
Think of the people who you find the most difficult, what’s the lesson they’ve been sent to tell you?
Read the instructions every time. Done that? Read them again to see what you missed
Seth Godin: The oxymoron of “sponsored results” is that if they’re sponsored, they’re not results
Make a habit of calling or writing to people when you don't need something
Talk about your feelings with your loved ones and friends. If they can’t or won’t listen, get professional help. Our feelings are so much easier to deal with when we speak them and share them
Attending a conference, try to sit near a door so you can get up and come back with minimal fuss or distraction
Been bitten by a mosquito and the bite is itchy? Instead of putting chemicals on the bite try this: Place a teaspoon in boiling water and let it get really hot. Hold the heated spoon close to the bite - as close and as hot as you can bear for maybe a minute. The heat destroys the proteins that make the body release histamines which in turn make the bite itchy!
Remember not everyone can tell you what good looks like, but they can all tell you what would make things better!
Keep a running list of friends and connections who make and sell things themselves - from cakes, cards, coffee and coaching to sweets, sweaters, shoes or sunglasses. And every time you need a gift, support your friends and connections
If you are a coach, find a supervisor and use them once a quarter r every 30 sessions or so. They can help you reflect on your practice, talk through challenging cases or even plan your coaching business better. But you'll really benefit from one
Set up have a keyboard shortcut on all your devices where @@ automatically enters your email address
Need help? Ask a friend. Need support? Ask a friend? Don't have a friend? Ask a neighbor, a colleague or the local Priest, Rabbi, Imam. If you ask, the help WILL appear
In the end, 2024 showed me that life upgrades don’t need to be grand. From better breathing to simpler escapes, the year’s lessons reminded me to keep it thoughtful, creative, and fun. Here’s to carrying these insights forward—more energized, connected, and maybe a bit more amused by it all.
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