Last Saturday, during a personal development book discussion, I was asked what my INTENTION was for 2024, and without hesitation, I said, “Community.” But before I get into my intention-word …
I’ve been away from writing my email newsletter for a hot minute with good reason. To catch you up:
- We moved.
- Across the country.
- Again.
- The move started in May 2022 from Richmond, VA, with a 4-month layover in an 1100 sq.ft. apartment in Lacey, Washington, before finding our home in a robust housing market later that summer.
- We now reside about 20 miles west of Tacoma, Washington.
For those of you who are long-time subscribers, you may be scratching your head in bewilderment – with a sprinkle of amusement. Believe me, I am, too, because this makes three cross-country moves in 8 years. Jason (the Hubs) swears that we are never moving again, and even though we moved to his home state, I cannot even blame him for this hair-brained idea. It was allllll me!! (at least initially)
For the nearly five years we lived in Virginia, it felt like we were trying to force a round peg into a square hole much of the time. It sorta worked if you wiggled it just right, but not really. Compound that with the isolation of the pandemic, and I felt like I was living Groundhog Day every. single. day.
To make matters worse, I started thinking about the next 15-20 working years with Jason only getting two days off a year (the casino industry employed him), and the rest of our lives with every holiday celebration being only a party of two (just us) became unmotivating. We weren’t sure how to “fix” it; we just knew we didn’t want our lives to look like that.
Then something magical happened. Jason was one of many laid off in advance of a multi-BILLON dollar sale to [insert big horseracing track that everyone knows] … and all we felt was a relief! This gave us the opportunity to hit the pause button and assess how we wanted life to look moving forward.
And Virginia wasn’t it.
We wanted to be around family for celebrations, holidays and yes, community! We love to fish, hike and experience the outdoors, and all the big arrows kept pointing to Washington State – the place he’d grown up in but had not lived in for over 25 years.
I actually spoke about this Beyond the Grind Life journey on the Fine Is a 4-Letter Word podcast. NOTE: This podcast has an explicit rating, but after one word in the intro, I believe the rest is clean.
This brings me back to my intention for 2024: Community.
Now that we are settled in our home, and I’m not walking around feeling like a zombie from exhaustion, I am working toward being part of my community again. Community comes in many different forms, and I’d like to share a few I am focused on with you:
- I joined the Master Builders Association of Pierce County last fall, and I’m currently involved with their Remodelers’ Council.
- I plan to attend the Builders’ Show in Las Vegas in February. This will be my first time attending the show since 2020. If you plan to attend, email me and let me know. I’d love to try to meet you in person.
- Jason and I have already participated in several community events, including fundraisers, Halloween trunk-or-treat events (for the kids) and wine tastings. We have also volunteered our time to honor our veterans at the national cemetery with Wreaths Across America for the last two holiday seasons.
- I’m breathing new life into this email newsletter to provide fresh marketing ideas and best practices so you can tackle marketing effectively and efficiently. Look for this newsletter to arrive in your inboxes much more regularly than it has in the last two+ years (and thank you for understanding).
- I’m participating in personal development book discussions, but I’m also considering starting a business book discussion with my community (i.e., you) in 2024. Email me if you are interested!
- Jason and I hosted our first virtual trivia night last Saturday. It’s a great way to stay connected with family and friends coast-to-coast. There were 12 of us on the call, and our next one is scheduled for later this month. Let me tell ya … seeing cousins and friends we’d not seen in years was food for our souls!
And of course, as part of my “Community” intention, I’ll continue to look for other ways to become involved – both locally and virtually.
In 2024, I’m gonna skip over that puddle because I refuse to allow a sequel to Groundhog Day here in Washington.
Do you have an intention word for 2024? How will that change your focus this year?
MY LIFE 📷
Our New Year’s Day started out with a trip to the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park and a most excellent shutout by our hometown team, Seattle Kraken! Jason, Barb, Rod and I were up out of our seats cheering and dancing to celebrate Seattle’s 3-0 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champs, Las Vegas!
That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week with a great tip I cannot wait to share with you – on how to ensure you are setting your business up for a great customer experience right from the start. And the best part … it’s easy!
Until next time!
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