Learn to Celebrate the Miracle of Your Choices

I used to swim in regret. Or, more accurately, dog paddle and barely keep my head above a sea of regrets. Make poor choices; nearly drown in regret. This was the way for a long time going back to teenage-land. 

Throughout this process, the cliché of I wish I knew then what I know now was definitely one I played out over and over like a favorite pop song. One that I'd get burnt out on, tried not to listen to, but every time it came on I danced awkwardly like no one was watching. 

Until I realized that choices are like little miracles of learning -- good, bad, or indifferent. And even then, these value judgements are unnecessary if we are truly learning, adapting, and living a generous life of giving and accepting that encourages others to do the same. Little miracles that make us who we are in each and every moment; that we aren't the worst choices we've ever made. When my wife Amy and I were first dating, she bought me a journal that had this phrase on the cover: Celebrating the Miracle of Our Choices. That theme became part of our vows that we read to each other each year on our anniversary. 

This theme is one that only now impacts me more profoundly than when Amy and I met or when we became parents. This is because the miracle of our choices is always about the now again. Meaning, we can make a healthy difference in our own lives, the lives of our children, and the lives of others, in every miraculous choice we make. 

I know it's hard to see the positive impact we can make when we swim in regret, replaying the past over and over again and wondering what would've happened if we made another choice. Our teens are experiencing this now, which is normal, and we encourage them to stay grounded in the now of choices. 

I truly believe that, regardless of our circumstance, every moment is a new opportunity to learn from our past choices and play it forward today. Learn to celebrate the miracle of your choices. The impact can be a profound cascade of positive and healthy living.

Happy New Year and blessings to you and yours.

Our Habits of Healthy

Words are powerful things. They can love and nurture us. They can degrade and hurt us. And unfortunately with the latter, we share them all too easily before we think them through. 

But when we do think them through thoughtfully, they can be empowering building blocks that change our immediate worlds and the greater world around us for the better. 

Starting in January 2021, I asked my work team to share a meaningful word at the end of our staff meetings. Whatever resonated with them in that moment. It didn't matter if it related to work or not either. Just one word that encapsulated how they felt right then and there. Words like:

• Grateful
• Invigorated
• Apprehensive
• Closure
• Compassion
• Unstuck
• Unity
• Celebration

And the list of words goes on and on. Just like our weekly family meetings where we share compliments, gratitude, appreciation and "noticing" -- something nice we notice about each other and/or ourselves that we share as a family -- and more. Words that love and nurture my wife, my children, and me, while also talking about the why of those that degrade and hurt us, if and when they arise. Putting a positive spread into practice, takes practice. 

For the past few years on New Year's Day, the executive director and founder of Kidpower International, the organization my wife works for, has asked the Kidpower community what word of phrase they'd use to describe the coming year. My wife's word this year is well-being, which means "the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy." Her wish for us all is to live with a sense of well-being in every moment.

Amen. My word for 2022 is "habit" -- of making empathy, love, and learning daily habits. Of taking care of ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Of having healthy relationships that are nurturing and reciprocally trusting and respectful of boundaries, without judgment. Habit literally means "a regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up," and literally the world we've lived in for the past two years has pushed many to the edge of giving up on these kinds of healthy habits. 

Let's reinvest in our habits of healthy this year. Blessings to you all and Happy New Year. 

Day 2 of the Year Anew

Is about a lifetime with happy.

Always.

Happy New Year!