2023 and Me (Ideas To Keep Living By)

I wrote this list to myself, but perhaps it will be meaningful to others! So, I am sharing.

1. Unfollow and Leave any social media cluster that shames people for entertainment value. This behavior damages *you*.
2. Pay attention to who gets your money and what you are financially supporting. Live as authentically to your values as you can. There is so much in the world beyond your control to forgive yourself for but doing what one can genuinely helps ourselves and others.
3. Learn more rhetorical and manipulation devices and learn to spot them when they are being weaponized against you.
4. The only way to win is to not play, do not engage with these behaviors. It’s like fighting a rattlesnake in a tub of peanut butter… No Good Can Come Of This.
5. If it is not for you, don’t give it the power to live in your head rent free.
6. Remember that the harder parts of self-care are the ones with the most impactful rewards.
7. Do that thing you keep meaning to do. Which thing is that? Make choices based on priorities and the actions that best serve them. Re-evaluate your priorities and change or upgrade what isn’t working for you.
8. Check yourself. Do you really need to respond to that post? Is there any measurable gain from not scrolling the fuck on by and going about your day? No? Then do that.
9. Life is filled with traumas small and large, and the only way forward is to process these emotions. Sit with your grief, expel your anger in the healthiest way you can, cry it out. Mental/Emotional injuries are painful and we all experience this and recover from it in different ways, but hiding and covering these feelings is genuinely harmful. You’re already wounded, don’t make it worse pretending you are “okay” when you aren’t.
10. Tough love isn’t love. Remember to be your own cheerleader instead of your own bully.
11. Don’t Panic, chaos is a constant state.
12. Remember that all of the good stuff in life is created through collaboration, not competition. Dividing the world into winners and losers is a loser move.
13. Unless you’re an actual raging narcissist, value yourself more.
14. If you are an actual raging narcissist, get yourself some therapy.
15. Avoid service to people who do not value your time, money, effort, or you as a person.
16. It’s okay to be wrong. Say “I was wrong on that and I apologize for my behavior.” Don’t dwell on it or ruminate, just acknowledge the error and do better with what you learned. This isn’t rocket surgery, it’s a skill, you get better with practice and anyone can do it.
17. Bring more balance to your consumption of whatever you consume. It’s easier to drown in the deep end.
18. It is not just you. No, really. You are not alone in this.
19. The secret of cultivating good luck is a combination of listening to your instincts and being willing to try something different or change course.
20. Stay mindful that you are one tiny expression of the consciousness of an immense living universe poured into some neurons propped up on an armature and wrapped in skin.
21. Look for balance in your relationships, and seriously reconsider the imbalanced ones.
22. We all come into life with a handful each of blessings and curses, and the most critical element of our outcomes is how we play them.
23. Neither be cowed by authority nor impose it upon others.