My "FOUR" Resolutions for 2024
My 2023 was filled with surprises and wonderment. At the end of 2022, I threw my name in the hat to be on my condo association board. 30 minutes after my interview, I was elected President of The Paradise Lakes Condo Association and became the community leader for 281 units.
Two months later, I married my boyfriend of five years in a spectacular wedding attended by 300 of our closest friends.
In April and May, I started rehearsals for the Paradise Lakes Chorus. I and three other neighbors with a passion for music began rehearsals for a piano quartet called the Quadratonics. Doug and I enjoyed two honeymoons in June: one on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas and the other on the now-defunct Galactic Starcruiser at Disney. In May, I applied to be a part of the 2024 Leadership Pasco class, and found out I was accepted a month later. In July, we found out that HGTV was interested in doing an episode of House Hunters in our community, so we spent a full two weeks putting together a parade and block party to show off our community. The following day, I was off to teach "Comedy Writing Secrets for Stage Hypnotists" at Hypnothoughts, the world's largest hypnosis conference. In August, I began the Leadership Pasco program, which takes up a full day each month exploring one aspect of life in Pasco County, such as education, business and industry, law enforcement, and tourism. In September, I dusted off my comedy routine for a Labor Day potluck. A few weeks later, The Quadratonics debuted with a full day of three concerts for our neighbors. We spent a fun week at The Great Escape Parkside with our friends in October, followed by an action-packed Halloween weekend with golf cart parades and community activities. November kicked off the start of the holiday season and a deep dive into preparations for a Quadratonics Christmas concert. We hosted a Thanksgiving potluck and golf cart parade. In December, The Quadratonics did 3 Christmas concerts. The following week, we hosted a golf cart parade, took a group to see The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and hosted a Christmas community potluck.
Somewhere in there, I saw clients, managed my ever-changing thyroid health scenario, participated in 15-20 community events, and did all the other miscellaneous things that needed to be done with our other business. And I'm not telling you this because I'm bragging about what we did this year.
I'm telling you this because I'm worn out.
Worn. The. F**k. Out.
As a result, my New Year's resolutions are very, very different this year!
Instead of my usual "taking the world by the balls" and creating a constant shitstorm of aggressive goals and busyness for myself, my New Year's resolutions will consist of four keywords to guide my life for this coming year.
My first keyword is "Simplify." I want to simplify my life. I'm doing this by reducing my belongings and my obligations. I've already started this one. I spent a weekend going through the house, filled up 7 boxes of things I don't love or enjoy anymore, and sold them at our community flea market. Everything that didn't sell that afternoon was immediately taken to the Salvation Army. Letting go of that stuff relieved a tremendous burden. I have many more things to let go of once the Christmas decorations are put (or thrown) away. I'm going through all of the apps I use for my businesses and finding ways to consolidate and simplify my business operations. It's a lot of work, but freeing up my physical and mental clutter feels fantastic. You don't feel the weight of what you've been carrying until you feel its release.
My next keyword is "Organize." I use an app called ClickUp to organize my tasks and activities. Organization is something I've struggled with my whole life...but I noticed I struggle a LOT less when I "SIMPLIFY." I'm re-evaluating my tasks and deciding which ones reward me with money and/or happiness. I'm putting together systems for my assistant and me so we can operate more efficiently.
Also, in my keywords, it is "Create." I have a shit-ton of incomplete craft projects. One of my friends sent me 8 beginner crochet projects. I still need to complete the 13 diamond paintings I got from Doug in 2020. I have puzzles I bought 5 years ago and never got around to building them. This is the year I MAKE time to create, learn new skills, and express myself without judging how much I enjoyed myself by how close to perfect the finished product is.
My last keyword for 2024 is "Focus." I ran from 1 project to the next, with my energies scattered amongst numerous projects. When this happens, I find myself making very little progress. Then, I got discouraged because I still needed to complete some tasks. I'm now focusing on one major project at a time and working through it until completion. This one was challenging, so I began focusing on "little wins." "Little wins" are shorter tasks I know I can complete in a day or less. Once I get some little wins under my belt, I have some momentum to get my larger projects completed.
What FOUR words will you choose to guide your 2024? Below is a list to help you get started:
Sustainability • Innovation • Excellence • Reliability • Loyal • Committed • Dependable • Passionate • Courageous • Respectful • Inspiring • Honesty • Integrity • Consistent • Efficient • Humorous • Optimistic • Positive • Nurturing • Open-minded • Adventurous • Resourceful • Fun • Humble • Community • Responsibility • Quality • Satisfaction • Delight • Supportive • Caring • Partnership • Best • Value • Global Transformation • Leadership • Teamwork • Diversity • Humility • Transparency • Results • Friends • Family • Listening • Learning • Educating • Gratitude • Curiosity • Joy • Serene • Calm • Relaxation • Giving • Zen • Uniqueness
