2019 Connection Goals
Instead of doing a new year’s resolution list or a typical 2019 goal list, this year I did a Past Year Review recommended by one of my favorite lifestyle optimizers, Tim Ferriss.
I set aside an hour and took my 2018 wall calendar out (yes - I still use paper!). On the top of a blank lined sheet of paper, I drew a line down the middle with “Positive” on the left and “Negative” on the right. Looking week by week at 2018, I listed events that made me feel good on the left and things that made me feel bad on the right. The single thing week after week that brought me the most joy was CONNECTION with other people.
Some times that connection came through volunteering at one of my kids’ schools or a client meeting or a nonprofit board meeting. Other times it was coffee with someone I don’t get to see often or trying a new exercise class with a friend. But again and again, genuine connection with other humans made for my best weeks.
There is a TED talk about what creates a happy life. Conducted by a Harvard research team, for 75 years they followed the lives of 724 men. The number one element over money, career success, health, etc. is GENUINE CONNECTION. Real and meaningful connection to other people, even one person.
“Sight connects us to things, but sound connects us to people.”
This profound quote by deaf and blind Helen Keller moves me each time I think of it. And having a deaf and hard of hearing daughter, I think of it quite often.
I have been referred to as a “connector” many times in my life, from connecting business needs with creative executions to helping friends hone in on their life purpose or introducing to people who can support one another and help each other’s dreams come true.
It has become clear to me that this human connection we all need, thrive on and have the personal power to create is much of WHY I am here on this earth and a gift I have to share and conduct between others. This clarity helps me optimize my life.
To me, optimizing my life is all about making every day more purposeful, meaningful and filled with joy. I want to thoughtfully fill my days with more of what brings me joy and drives my human purpose and decrease things that don’t support that mission. It sounds easy, but without taking a close look and keeping that focus top of mind, it’s amazing how much junk can fill our time.
To keep me focused, I made a list of “Connection Goals” to help me prioritize what type of activities I fill my 2019 weeks with, as well as started immediately to make recurring appointments to further these goals.
2019 Connection Goals:
Connect with myself, the body and the mind. From my ongoing practice of meditation and daily nonfiction writing to my studying of Alzheimer’s prevention and such, I have never appreciated the mind like I do now. I’ve found so much joy these past few years in continuing my education, not through formal schooling, but reading and audio books, listening to podcasts, watching TED talks, talking with experts in fields of interest, spending time writing about what I’ve been learning. We are crazy fortunate to have access to so many people and their minds throuhgh the internet. I’m currently listening to the audio book of SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science Of Exercise And The Brain by John J. Ratney, MD. If you want to feel hope for our education system and the power each of us has to continue growing our brain for our WHOLE LIFE - this is a must read immediately. Our brain is truly mind blowingly awesome.
Connect in creative ways with my family. From helping my Dad start a new business at the age of 76 to puzzles with my 4-year-old, legos with my almost 6-year-old, runs with my 12-year-old son, dance classes or shopping with my 14-year-old daughter and Dream-Scheming Weekends away with my husband, time off the screen and in life: listening, talking and connecting.
Connect parents in Virginia with deaf and hard of hearing children to information that can help bring them comfort through the knowledge that they aren’t alone on this journey, understanding through storytelling, and empowerment to create the life they have always dreamed of for their child, no matter their special need.
Connect people to their personal creative power. Being on the Board of Directors for Studio Two Three, a nonprofit in Richmond, Virginia, that gives people the space, the tools and the classes to find that thing they love has been so impactful to me. I’ve also been helping my nonfiction writing teacher create a book press here in Richmond, VA. It feels so good to use my marketing and communications background and skillset to bring dreams to life.
No matter what kind of planning you are doing for 2019, consider making CONNECTION a piece of it. How can you create more meaningful connection in your new year?
Lotsa Love,
Leah
