24 Life Mantras for 2024

Well, we are here in the New Year, my friend. Whether you were ready or not. If you've been part of my community for awhile, you know one of my traditions for many years is to spend time in reflection at the end of the year. So, before you fully let go of 2023 to embrace the year ahead, I invite you to pause with me a moment and think about your life. What were the last twelve months like for you? Take time to reflect on all of it - the adventures, the emotions, the mountain top experiences, and those in the deep valleys. When the year has been fraught with challenge, admittedly - I don't want to look back. I want to cross my arms and stamp my foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Is this where you find yourself? Sometimes you are just 'so done' with the year, it's just been too much - too hectic; too stressful; too painful; you can't wait to put it behind you. I get it my friend, and I have been there too. For me personally, 2023 was one of the worst years I have faced. Clouded by the loss of my Dad, I have experienced "oceans of emotions" (as my sister says), and certainly felt at times I was treading frantically in deep water.  But I have learned - the hard way sometimes - that tucking your challenges or painful emotions deeply away only ends up hurting you in the long run. And on the other hand, you don't want to miss celebrating the wins of the year, or the life and leadership lessons learned through the highs and lows. So, in this week's blog, I want to share 24 insights I am taking into the year ahead. See what ones resonate the most with you: 1. Do it Now. How many times have you waited to take action on something you know you wanted? So often you can be held back by the paralyzing grasp of fear, often cloaked in procrastination and doubt. It is the silent thief of dreams. "Do it Now" isn't merely a mantra but a call to action. Whether it's starting the business, building the home, or having the courage to start a new relationship (or end one), may this be the year you take the leap. Action matters. 2. Your Health is Your Top Priority Sometimes you take your health for granted. I certainly learned this in the last year when a scooter accident laid me up for a while, keeping me from my usual activities and exercise. A 75+ year old entrepreneur colleague put it this way. "Your head is always going to be walking around on the top of your body. So, take great care of your body." 3. You Can Heal Your Mind Scientists used to believe your brain stopped generating new cells once you reached adulthood. In other words, once you became an adult you were stuck with the brain that you have. The good news is this has been proven incorrect and new science has found that you can indeed change your brain through a process called neuroplasticity. I have now seen it firsthand, and it is truly a miracle.  You can change the way you think and heal your mind and body. And the best healer you have in this world is you. 4. Deal With Your Stuff Despite doing everything right to take care of yourself, if you don't deal with your pain, such as a trauma of your past, you will never be able to truly move forward. This is important so it bears repeating. If you don't deal with the pain of your challenges - if you ignore it, if you stuff it down, if you allow it to make you bitter... it can keep you from your best future - the abundant life you have been called to. So, get some support if you need to, and dig in my friend in this next year. 5. Live Your Best Life Now Live a life that you love now, because you don't know how much time you have on this earth. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so every day is precious no matter what your age. Think of it this way: If you're 80 years old but you're going to live to 120 you have a long life ahead of you yet. If you're 35 but you're only going to live until you're 40, your time is short. Live your best life now. If you are giving this one a resounding yes, then check out my book The Success Lie that goes deep on this subject. 6. Embrace Connections Your life is deeply enriched by the connections you have. Are you making your most important relationships a priority? Take time to evaluate your relationships and where you want to make improvements this next year. Strengthen your bonds of decades, and make room for new connections too. Whether you are extroverted or introverted, you need connection. Embrace it. Even if it takes getting out of your convert zone to do it, it is worth it. 7. Nobody Has It All Together Have compassion for yourself and others. No matter how people's lives look on the outside - how shiny and polished they are on social media or appear when you see them in person - nobody has it all together. Sometimes you can beat yourself up looking at how everyone else is doing (more correctly, how it seems they are doing). Realize that everyone has good things in their lives, and this is what usually shows up on their reels. On the inside everybody has struggles. 8. Focus On the Most Important Thing First, you must identify what is the most important thing. Not what others in your life think is most important, but what you do. It is easy to get distracted and off track. This is why a regular check-in with how you are doing is critical. Ask yourself, in all of your busyness, with everything on your plate, are you working on the right things? What is the most important thing? Then focus on it. 9. Be Present and Mindful Mindfulness isn't just a practice; it's a pathway to enhanced focus, emotional balance, and appreciation of life's simple pleasures. It involves actively engaging with your current experiences and tuning into your thoughts and feelings without judgement. Start by dedicating a few minutes each day to a mindfulness exercise like meditation or deep breathing. Transform routine activities into mindful moments, and practice active, attentive listening to your interactions. 10. Put Family First Always put family first. This has been a value of mind for many years, but wow, did it become more evident this year in my Dad's passing. While growing up, he showed me and my siblings the example of having family as a top priority. He lived it and taught us how to do the same. When we surrounded him in his last moments saying our goodbyes, there were no regrets. Just love and a grateful heart for a life well lived. It reminded me again, your family (whatever that looks like to you) is everything. 11. Slow Down Working with high-achieving entrepreneurs who literally don't know how to stop working, this has been my coaching mantra: Slow down. I am also continually checking myself on this intentional habit, as it is easy for me to fall into patterns of overworking and not taking the breaks I need. You may want to consider taking a sabbatical this year. I take them regularly and can't recommend it enough Think you can't do it? Check out my blog series Why Sabbaticals Are Important: The Benefits of Taking a Break. Slow down my friends and savor the present moment. It's life changing. 12. Learn to Play Whenever we spend time with the grandkids, and see the fun they have in all the made-up games they play, we are reminded how easy it comes for kids to simply play. It is such a shame we lose this ability as adults. Playing has huge benefits to enhancing creativity, building relationship, and improving your overall well-being. Pick something you love to do and get out there and play. 13. Listen To Your Inner Voice How often do you really stop and get quiet? I'm talking about 'complete silence'. This means no electronics, and no ear buds in the ear with your favorite podcast or music. Let's face it, in this loud world, most of us don't know how to get quiet. But it makes such a difference. If you want to listen to your inner voice and all its wisdom you first have to be quiet. It's amazing what you can hear when you just stop and listen. 14. Choose Faith Over Fear I remember when Hurricane Ian dropped on Florida where our daughter lives, and there were days of concern (and all-out panic) as she was evacuated from her home town. Then she was evacuated again from the city she escaped to when the hurricane unexpectedly changed direction. This scary situation caused fear and choosing faith was an hour-by-hour decision for a few days. "Fear" has certainly been my nemesis in the past. 'Choose faith over fear' is a mantra of mind and a lesson I need on repeat. 15. Be Bold with Your Gifts There are amazing stories today about entrepreneurs using their gifts to make a positive impact. In a meeting we attended with a group of elite entrepreneurs, one of them, Dr. Timothy Nelson, is literally building a heart to eradicate youth heart disease. Dr. Nelson's mission was so inspiring it gave the reminder to everyone in the room: Don't be afraid to use your gifts to be bold and blow up the world - in a positive way. Every person has been given amazing talents and gifts that are only theirs to share. Dream big. Go big. Be bold with your gifts and change the world. 16. Watch Your Mental Intake You hear this one from me a lot, I know. It's because it is critical to your health and wellbeing. Remember, what you feed your mind with becomes your life. In these last couple of years, you didn't want to be watching the stock market or reading the news throughout the day. Of course, you should keep informed. Just remember to make a focus of fueling your mind with positive, uplifting things - the podcasts you listen to, the music, and the shows you watch. 17. Sunshine Warms the Soul What warms your soul my friend? Graham and I found that sunshine (and water) warms ours, and we made the decision to spend more time in it and around it. Whatever it is that brings you joy and fills your soul, be sure you are adding sprinkles of that every day, and buckets full on a regular basis. 18. Time is Precious  Time is your most precious commodity. Going along with the lesson on focusing on what's most important, ask yourself how you are using your precious time. You have 24 hours in each day. It is up to you how to use them. The days go by quickly and so do the years. Do you need to make changes in how you are spending your days? Let's use them wisely. Time is precious. 19. Living to 100 Starts Now Everyone wants to live a healthy, long life. And the choices you make today will impact whether you get there. There are several simple ways you need to be able to move your body in the years to come - how well you can lift, can you push, pull, bend, and stretch? The better you can do these things now the more it will strengthen your body for the future.  20. Serve Others First One of the best pieces of advice I received came from a seasoned entrepreneur. Make it a priority to serve others - and serve first. He likened it to the game of ping-pong where the Server serves first. Then the server needs to know how to receive - to catch the ball when it bounces back over the net. In ping-pong and in life, learn to serve. 21. Don't Engage Negativity There is negativity all around. Let's face it, in many ways it's a contentious, divisive world right now. It takes real intention to not engage with negativity conversations and people. As a business leader, this is your chance to step up and be different than the norm. Lift others up with your words and actions. Promote instead of divide. Praise instead of commiserating. Show love instead of hate. 22. Your Morning Success Ritual is Vital Every day you get to make a choice. You can choose to have a good day or a bad day. When you get up in the morning ask yourself, "What kind of day do I want to have today?" You already have a morning routine. Decide to make it a morning success ritual where you incorporate the activities that set you up for your best day. 23. Get Better Sleep Quality sleep is one of the most important things for you to prioritize. It's important to your physical health, mental clarity, and overall well-being. It rejuvenates your body, consolidates your memories, and recharges your brain, enabling you to face each new day with renewed focus. Establishing a consistent sleep routine and creating a restful environment can help promote uninterrupted sleep. From reducing screen time before bed to incorporating relaxation techniques like mediation or gentle yoga makes a difference. 24. Become A Better Person When is the last time you have really thought about who you want to be? I encourage you to make this one of the questions you regularly ask yourself. I believe that it is actually more important to care about the person you are becoming, than what you are actually doing. You can forget, as I have, that you are a human "being" as you can get so caught up in all of the "doing." If you pay attention to becoming a better person, growing your character, capacity, learning, and gaining new skills, that you will naturally create more impact in the world. I hope you take a little time and linger on the last year. Reflect on your mountain tops and your valleys, and especially the life lessons. What did you learn, and how can you use it to grow toward the person of highest potential you are created to be?