At this time of year, it is common to assess or look at your life and decide what’s working and what’s not.

As you think about your life, what are your thoughts?

How was 2023 for you? Were you mostly doing all the things you love? Or, were you more on the end of I’ll just do like I’ve always done?

What are your intentions for 2024? To live your Highest and Best Life? Or, not willing to do much different?

Would you say you are living a great life or a marginal life?

I would say if you are living a marginal life, you have given in to being a victim. You have allowed something outside of yourself to take charge.

As Abraham-Hicks shares, “You cannot control circumstances. You never intended to control circumstances. You intended to discover unconditional love. You intended to discover a way to feel good, no matter what because you have the facility: you have the power: you have the ability to focus.”
I would say 2024 is the year for you to decide how you want your life to go. It’s time to decide to live in joy and be grateful for the life you have been given. For some, that will take a lot more effort. But it’s worth it.

If you could just think about each day and how you could add more joy or fun to your day, think of what an amazing life you’d have in 2024.

Too often, people think they need to make huge goals or shifts in their lives to make them meaningful. But the truth is that when you take charge and live in alignment with what you desire, you already feel good. You feel empowered like you are deciding rather than thinking it doesn’t matter.

Where in your life are you living marginally? Is it with your finances, relationships, or health? I know years ago, before my divorce, I never realized how much “work” it would take to have healthy, loving relationships. I just thought they happened. WRONG. Just like your career or having a car or house, there is work to be done.

Each of these areas becomes marginal when you fail to invest time, energy, and focus for what you desire.

One of the best ways to live more than a marginal life is to keep learning. In whatever way that serves you. For me, travel provides lots of learning, whether to learn about the different places we are going or, after our Antarctica and South America cruise in 2023, we decided to learn Spanish using Duolingo. I just passed my 300th day of practice. In our town, there is a new Senior Wellness Center. You can play games, do activities, or make connections with others.

Bo and I are invested in learning about longevity and how to live the healthiest we can in the years we have. He has been reading “Outlive – The Science & Art of Longevity” (Rethinking Medicine To Live Better Longer) by Peter Attia, MD.

Bo shared with me an example from the book about a lady who loved gardening and playing golf. In her 70s, she fell and quit doing the things she loved, which turned depression into dementia. Dr. Attia talks about how people accept this way of being instead of finding a way to live their lives doing what they love. His focus is on better models of medicine and wellness.

Are you willing to live a marginal life, or are you willing to seek something more for yourself?

How do you know what that is? What fills your life with joy, love, and meaning? Just like the lady above, she loved gardening and golf. How could she keep her focus on finding a way to keep those things in her life? I remember when I tore my hamstring off my bone and felt pretty hopeless about doing the things I love. But, I found a physical therapist whose first question to me was “What did I want to be able to do?” He explained that was what we needed to spend our time doing. Finding ways to get my body back to where it could move so I could hike, bike, and move all about. I was willing to do the work because I wanted to live, have fun, and enjoy my life.

Today, decide that you are going to live more than a marginal life. You are worth it.

Start by thinking how can I make this an exciting new year? How can it be an adventure? To better health, more fun, or more friends.

Think about what could be the most harmonizing thing I could to for my health.

What could create the most joy, peace, or fun for me today?

Or, do you need to find ways for more expansion in your life? What could that look like?

It’s okay if you don’t know how to get started. Just decide what you like and what feels good to you, and keep that focus. Ideas WILL show up for you. Follow the breadcrumbs and the ideas. Do what feels right to you. Some won’t, but many will. Just like our adventure with longevity. It’s crazy how many things have come before us.

As my January 2024 Science of Mind magazine says, “Give life to your goals.” Use your time and energy focused on what gives life to you and makes you feel most alive.
Widen your channels.

Are you ready to live vibrant, healthy, and abundant?

Think about Jon Gordon’s ONE WORD for the year and how that can give you focus and energy to move to a greater life. What is your ONE WORD? I mentioned mine was “Generous.” It has been neat to watch how it’s been helpful, whether with a financial decision or giving my time.

Decide you are ready to live out the rest of your life doing what you love and how you want to be.

Life showers you with what you need.

What do you need today to live more than a marginal life?

Life was meant to be fun and meaningful.

Go for it!