Thanks to a dear friend, Debbie Phillips, I've transformed an annual tradition. Instead of just reflecting and writing at the end of the year, I now also do this on my birthday. The vibes are different – birthdays feel more hopeful and introspective than the end-of-year rush.
For the past decade, I've been jotting down the top ten things I'm grateful for along with lessons learned and takeaways for the next year.
This year, I decided to share them.
Happiness and sadness, hope and grief, calm and ecstatic, scared and excited can be felt at the same time. I call that last one scarcited.
Be open to evolving those rituals you used to love. Instead of Talenti chocolate peanut butter gelato and a boozy lunch, I opted for an afternoon at SF MOMA with my husband, some Rooibos citrus tea, an iPad, and writing this birthday blog.
Happiness is a verb. We have to generate it instead of expecting it to come to us. Practicing happiness is easiest with others through meaningful shared experiences.
We can live intentionally by choice. We do not have to keep reacting and/or living out our parents’ patterns. Thanks to the Hoffman Process for helping me realize this and choosing the life I want.
If we wait to feel like doing something, we will never do it. That Forbes column I wanted to start up again, that TEDx talk I wanted to do, that trip we wanted to take again with our nieces and nephews…daily actions lead to monthly actions which lead to yearly actions which lead to that life you wanted.
Notice the little things that spark joy, feel them, then write about them. This year, I cherished morning yoga with my nieces and nephews in Sayulita, Mexico, walks to the Farmer’s Market with my husband, the scent of eucalyptus trees while running at Land’s End with a Golden Gate Bridge view, and sliding down the big slide with my niece, Harper. Also, Oxford commas bring me joy.
This Birthday call today from Helene, Dag and Helen in London brought me so much joy….
…so did these orange flowers from my team.
Packing cubes make life easier. Pro tip: get them in a bright color your partner won't want to use. My teal and orange ones are always where I left them, ready for my next trip.
Let go of being right. It only hurts you. There's a difference between submitting and surrendering. Submitting gives someone else power over your actions. Surrendering accepts that you can't control theirs.
Writing clarifies your thoughts. Thank you, Joan Didion.
“I write entirely to find out what I am thinking, what I am looking at, what I see and what it means”-Joan Didion
Keep dancing and read more.