Gifts To Give Yourself
With all the running around we do all year, and particularly at this time of year, it might be time for a little self-care – a moment to settle into something inspirational or fun.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the things I discovered, enjoyed, got inspired by in 2018, in the hope that you might get inspired, share yours, or just take a moment to make your own list.
The Year of the Podcast
2018 was the year I started listening to podcasts in earnest. It finally dawned on me that people were talking about the very things I wanted to know about.
It all began with The Sheri and Nancy Show (formerly This is Fifty). If you don’t listen to podcasts, or haven’t listened to this one, give yourself a treat and have a listen.
They call it the Pillar Life, a life guidance system. Tune in to Sher and Nance as they navigate the pillars, making their lives better in every way.
Podcast Honorable Mentions
If you’re interested in speaking or even if you’re not, this podcast delivers so much rich information about storytelling and crafting a message. Short and sweet and full of info.
Jonathon Field’s business is going through a transformation, and that’s interesting to watch. In the meantime, he interviews pretty much everyone about living a good, meaningful, rich life. So good.
Let Me Entertain You
As much as I might blame Netflix binges and/or social media for helping us all avoid the more meaningful things in life, sometimes, there’s nothing like settling in for an evening of drama or comedy. Or both.
I’m a little late to this party. Masterful storytelling, likable but flawed characters, a beautiful tangling of time. My heart grows two sizes bigger every time I watch.
Will Smith has a good Instagram game. Not bad for his first year at it. Follow him. Really.
In its millionth season, Grey’s is having a moment, primarily because of Netflix. The “kids” are finding it highly bingable. It’s fun to go back to the beginning and see all the character changes.
Have a daughter? Afraid of who she might marry? A Christmas movie for a new era. Kinda silly. Kinda fun. Kinda irreverent. Kinda touching. Kiss shows up too. Some movies I can watch more than once. This is one of them.
Inspiration
Anyone who knows me, knows I love Bruce. His broadway show came to a close this month, but you can catch it on Netflix. It’s the touching story of how his family both scarred him and lifted him up.
The first time I saw him perform, I had a revelation. It took me a long time to articulate it. Essentially, I knew I had seen someone doing exactly what they were put on Earth to do. It became my quest.
During the times when my career felt pointless, he’d show me time and time again that there was a way to do work in the world that could be fun and meaningful.
Connecting to What's Inside
This might be the most profound gift I gave myself this year.
Each morning, starting in the summer, I asked my Soul a question – What do I need to know today? I wrote what came to me in my journal. I’ve never been successful at journal writing or morning pages, but this time it became a habit.
I didn’t always feel like doing it, but I did it anyway and the reward became a new kind of connection with myself. I didn’t expect it, but over time I started to feel like I had a wise partner to consult, someone to turn to. Me!
It evolved to me asking different questions and getting some very profound answers. From me!
I feel calmer, connected, excited to find out more. Who would have thought?
Those are some things in 2018 that lit my fire, made me laugh, made me cry. If you feel so inspired, I encourage you to check them out, or just make your own list. If something inspired you this year, I'd love to hear about it!
