A bias for action… 3 to take by the end of the year (in the category of life optimization!)

The story behind this picture is incredible. The headline stated: “A man strung Christmas lights from his home to his neighbor’s to support her. The whole community followed.”

A bit more detail: In this Baltimore neighborhood, a family received a text from their neighbor that cookies were on the porch and that he had connected their houses with lights to reinforce that they were always connected despite the pandemic lockdown. The neighbor had previously shared that she was dealing with depression and anxiety, as well as grieving the loss of a loved one and struggling with work-related stress. The mounting pressure had led to panic attacks and her neighbor could relate. In the days that followed, the neighbors – one by one – followed suit and stretched lights from one end of the street to the other.

“The lights were a physical sign of connection and love,” quoting the man who started it all via the Washington Post article. Going on, “What blows my mind is that it was all organic… it just happened… It just grew out of everybody’s desire for beauty and joy and connection.” (Check out the full article – it’s great!)

Ending a year well to me is primarily about this message; the overarching message the “Love Lives Here” is worthy of a tattoo if you ask me. It strikes that inner knowing that we are meant for so much more. That we can if we choose to use both our painful experiences/memories and all of the good moments and kindness we have been a part of, we can inspire the world around us. All of us have this ability and that is proven by countless stories of those in dire situations who rise above.

So, what three actions can we take as we finish off 2021? They may look a little different for each of us, but here are the insights that I feel are “must haves” to truly finish strong. My wish is that one or more might resonate with you and ignite something that will help move you to the best version of yourself.

1. Take inventory. (Look behind to look forward.) There is no shortage of “21 lessons learned in 21,” and some are useful for getting our memories ignited. Often I go through pictures on my phone to remember the moments that stood out. Taking inventory of the year belongs on this “must do” list. We are only given so many years, and time is fleeting. I happen to believe that almost all of life’s happenings are by design and that the people we meet, and experiences we have all have a purpose; whether in a moment, a month, season or lifetime. Take inventory of what stood out to you this year, including the highlights and lowlights and learnings and musings… Bonus points if you store it somewhere where you can create a system for future reflection. (Anyone else rely on the “notes” app on their phone?)

I did this a few days ago and WOW. I had forgotten some really important moments and lessons and it reminded me of what I truly want in my life: To be vulnerable, one was how my sister and I have had more time this year for coffee dates. Those meaningful conversations on the patio of Meadowbrook Park, have been a big part of my life this year. They have guided me and provided a warm and loving space to connect with my first and forever best friend. Too many years have gone by where we didn’t make time for these deeper moments, and it has meant the world to me.

2. Create a gratitude plan. Using the inventory, be it 5 things or 100, identify where you really owe some thanks. It could be for a lesson learned, the neighbor that pulled your car out of the ditch, (or the friend that symbolically did the same for you on a bad day…) or your own family for extending love even when you perhaps could not. Now, go out and thank those people. One meaningful conversation can be just a powerful as a bunch of short texts or messages. Let your heart lead you! (I know we talk about gratitude quite often, but the increasing research on happiness seems to always be sourcing back to starting with gratitude. I am convinced that doubling down on being grateful and taking the time to acknowledge people and the good that is ever present is critical in today’s society.)

One example here is that my friend Joanne, who is always the one that is so good about ensuring we stay connected, decided to start inviting me over for coffee realizing my schedule was typically very full. She has great wi-fi and always accommodated me taking work calls if we talked too close up to my next meeting. She took a normal Tuesday morning and turned it into something exceptional. They were some of my favorite days and it was easy. I feel full of gratitude as I reflected on these special moments. As you can see, this idea of really thinking through allows you to plan your future days and create the life you really want.

3. Set your intentions. Energy is a precious commodity. We must be mindful of where and how we use it if we are to optimize our days in this often fast paced contemporary world. My grandmother, at 96, said, “You have to keep getting up and moving, even if you don’t feel like it.” I hope to never forget that, because it is profound. She set her intention to do just that every day as she aged and this alone makes the case for the power for of intention. We have to decide what we want and in that way we begin to manifest our days.

One of my boys shared with me that he really wanted 2022 to be about building his financial health, get some savings in place, invest etc. I loved that because whether or not he knew it, he was setting an intention. We will go deeper in this topic as we launch the new year with some other ideas such as creating life maps and our “one word,” but for today, the idea is to think through the base of what you want as you move forward into a new year. The bottom line is that if you know what you want out of it, you can drive your energy (mental, physical etc.) toward supporting that desire. When it is all aligned, it sets forth the best path for success.

As you go into the Christmas weekend, I am praying that you all have an absolutely warm and wonderful time, filled with whatever brings you love and hope. As this beautiful neighborhood illustrated for us, LOVE LIVES HERE… Indeed, it does!