2023 THEME: LOOK UP!
January is a wonderful time to reflect. Whether you make resolutions or not, we at LAA are fans of goal-setting and conscious planning.
More than ever, our society is driving us all to have a narrow view. Although technology can certainly help us to expand our understanding of the world around us, it’s also making us focus on the same stuff, day after day. Whether it’s Tik Tok or Instagram or news alerts, we’re routinely distracted from real life.
Consider your normal routine and whether you want to keep going on the current path.
SHAPING THE MIND AND BODY
January often brings on new fitness goals. How do we want to shape ourselves in the coming year?
Young people’s skulls are actually starting to change shape because they are looking down at their phones so much! Crazy but true! Our habits change us but we CAN change our habits.
My kids sit in my car while I drive them places and I tell them – put the phone down, take out the earbuds and look up! Look around! Let’s have a conversation!
What are you missing out on in the world around you because you’re caught up in the digital realm? How much richer could your life be if you worked on engaging with those around you? Loneliness is on the rise even though technology supposedly increases our “connections.”
I was at the airport yesterday and overheard some talkative children (3 or 4 years old) describe a woman they know to their dad as “poor.” He chuckled and responded, she is not poor, she is lonely. The kids didn’t know the meaning of “poor” but how profound to define her situation that way since loneliness is poverty on a spiritual level. We can enrich our lives by working on our personal connections and finding community.
HEALTH IS WEALTH
We have heard so much about mental health in the aftermath of Covid. Taking care of ourselves and investing in our personal health is a huge part of wellness.
Your personal wellness has a lot to do with your financial wellness. Health care costs are rising and the more you can nurture your physical and mental wellness, the better you’ll be financially.
MORE JOY & OPTIMISM
The final note I’ll make on my 2023 theme is about our need for joy and optimism. With all the talk about recession and the negative mood of global affairs, it’s easy to get down and out.
As I was talking with clients this week about their planned withdrawals from their accounts and how our strategy would protect them from potential pitfalls, they said they wanted to use the money for something fun! I agreed wholeheartedly. I want them and YOU to plan to use their withdrawals for fun and enjoyment.
THAT is what the theme is all about for 2023: how do we plan to enjoy this next year? We need to prioritize joy, connection, and using the blessings in our life to build more of the good stuff for ourselves and others.
I hope to inspire you to take time to reflect on your life by looking up from your normal routine. Looking up provides a fresh perspective and it’s not that hard. Sometimes we just need a reminder!
Life is all too often entangled in the hustle and bustle of seemingly urgent tasks.
So I hope this is the reminder you need to start living more deliberately and don’t forget to LOOK UP!