Chris’s 12 wishes for you for 2023

Here’s one dozen wishes, for you! (pick one, two or three that are speaking to you and make them part of your 2023. Or commit to focus on 1 for each month of next year.)

1.- Learn something new. It’s time to challenge your brain and your body. Try a musical instrument, a sport, or a language. As we age, our cognitive and physical capacity starts to decline. Challenging yourself strengthens your brain to continue to grow and thrive. 

2.- Meditate daily. Even 10 minutes a day. Regular meditation is the highest leverage habit you can include in the day if you use your brain and emotions in your career and life. There are so many different types of meditation and apps available to help you. Find a friend doing it, and ask them how they started and made it stick. You will not regret this small investment in your time.

3.- Take your breaks. Regularly and consistently, at work and home. We are not machines. We are complex human systems. Our energy levels can peak and dip throughout the day. Taking regular breaks is not a sign of weakness: it shows your commitment to renewing your energy and your commitment to high performance and consistently showing up for others.

4.- Prioritize your sleep. No matter how old or busy you are, you can also improve the quality and quantity of your sleep. It has the most significant impact on your mood, performance, productivity, health and longevity. 

5.- Have a look at your dietary habits. I’m not talking about the good ones. Keep those up. I’m talking about alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and junk food. Look at how often you are consuming these and why. Are they a stimulant? A relaxant? Do you consume when you are stressed, happy, sad, or bored? What would happen if you reduced your consumption or cut them out entirely? What benefit or perceived benefit are you getting from them? What is the cost? What would a slight improvement look like for you? 

6.- Cut out seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, vegetable oil). These oils have been marketed as “healthy” for years, but they are the exact opposite for me. They are inflammatory to the body and cause things like sore joints, weight gain, and brain fog. Learn more about this here 

7.- Move your body every day. Develop a habit and a mindset that says: This body was built to move. I will honour it by giving the gift of movement. Ideally, making an appointment to exercise every day would be great. If that’s not possible, commit to walking or stretching, even on your non-workout days.

8.- Ask more, listen more. As leaders, it can be alluring to fall into the pattern of needing to tell, teach and direct others. And many people around us are happy to respond to what we tell them. When we ask more curious questions, listen and probe for understanding, we open up a new level of communication and engage the minds and hearts of those we are here to support.

9.- Learn to say no. No to every meeting that could be an email. No to every social engagement you’d rather skip. No to bailing the same person out, time and time again. To be clear, I am not suggesting that you become selfish and stop caring and doing for others. It’s quite the opposite. When we get more judicious with how we spend our time and energy, it allows us to show up for others in more meaningful ways.

10.- Do some counselling or talk therapy. If you ever find yourself feeling anxious, depressed, lost, or struggling with relationships with your partner or family members, or colleagues, you are normal. A good counsellor can help you understand yourself and your patterns better than you can on your own. It can be very liberating, empowering and energizing to navigate your world with a deeper understanding of yourself.

11.- Do something regularly -- just for you. You may love taking your kids swimming on the weekend or cooking with your partner. By all means, keep doing these things. But I am talking about an activity that feels a little indulgent and selfish that nurtures your mind, body and soul where you are not serving others. Investing in yourself will help you navigate the challenges you face and ultimately help you show up for others.

12.- Have fun!! More fun. I know you are 40 or 50 or something adult like that. Having fun in life and work, and home does not mean you are not serious about your responsibilities. Regularly doing things that make you laugh, smile and feel joy fuels your emotional energy and makes you more resilient and more of a pleasure to work with. Find the people, situations, movies or whatever that put a smile on your face and regularly dose up on this stuff.