Happy New Year, my friends!
I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, no matter what holiday(s) you celebrate, observe, and enjoy! 2020 is finally behind us, and while the clock striking midnight did not exactly equal hitting the reset button, I hope you’re finding at least a small way to make the new year feel like a fresh start!
Last year had more than its fair share of stresses: from the global pandemic to low inventory markets to political and social unrest, there were plenty of reasons to feel uncomfortable and unsettled or worse. For that reason. I wanted the theme for this first newsletter of the year to be focused on yourself and on small acts that can impact the lives of others. With that, here you go — and I hope to see you all sometime this year, in person or virtually, and I hope you have a safe, prosperous, and healthy 2021!
ACTION ITEM – Assess your “me time.”
Goals and business plans are important, but if there’s one thing that 2020 taught me, it’s that our “Me Time” is just as — if not more — important. I forced myself to carve out time for myself every single day last month, which greatly impacted me. You can read more about what I learned and how I did it here.
What I’m reading – The Headspace Guide To Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day, by Andy Puddicombe. I used to be a meditation naysayer, and even now, I’m not completely sold, nor do I make time for the practice every day. However, I do find that I want to know more, and this is a great read for those who may be curious. Following the theme of my Action Item for you above, if you’ve been curious about meditation or begun the practice and want to know more and improve, this may be the book for you! Written by a former Buddhist monk who is the voice of Headspace (the app), his mission is to get people to spend just 10 minutes a day in mindfulness.
Video I’m watching – I discovered Drew Dudley a few years ago on his TedX Toronto video, “The Power of Lollipop Moments.” It’s a powerful message about the power we have to impact the lives of others…even in a small way. How can you impact the life of someone today?
SIDE NOTE: I had the pleasure of meeting Drew at our state REALTOR conference two years ago (remember when we used to meet in person?) and interviewing him; you can check that out, too, here.
Article I’m pondering – Writing thank you notes becomes a lot easier (and truly becomes a habit) when you systematize it, then do it at the same time every day, and train yourself so that it comes naturally. I re-read “You’re Too Busy: You Need a Schultz Hour“ by David Leonhardt recently, and while it’s not the focus of the piece, this helped me think about time-blocking a little differently. While Schultz meant his hour to be focused on strategy and the big picture, you can really use it for anything that forces you to focus on one thing for that hour until it’s done. Use your hour for anything you’d like, but I think you might be grateful you chose to use it for gratitude and a little time for YOU.
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Thanks for reading – see you next month!
