I’ve posted quite a few blogs to Substack over the past couple of years.

Last week I hosted some family members on a visit to Calgary.

Of course, we did a day trip to Banff to see the mountains.

I wanted to make sure these visitors had a good time, so I spent a lot of time thinking about where we would go and what we would do. I thought I knew what they wanted to see, and what they would expect. However, I quickly realized that their idea of a good day in the mountains was different than mine.

Whether we like it or not, summer is coming to an end. That back-to-school feeling is in the air (and in the stores). We’re stepping into a new season, and it helps to consciously prepare for it.

Have you ever been in a yoga class where the teacher invited you to “set an intention for the class”?

I’ve been there, many times. I usually take a moment to think of an intention…strength, calm, peace…something like that. I’ll admit that I don’t always live up to the intention I’ve set, but it helps to come back to the word throughout the class.

This year I’m focusing on the idea of “accepting what is”.

I don’t mean this in the sense of giving up, or throwing up my hands and saying, “it is what it is”.  That’s not what “accepting what is” means for me right now.

Right now in my life, accepting what is helps me with the changes I’m experiencing. I'm turning 50 in 2023 and I’m definitely in a time of change with my mind, my body and my lifestyle. “Accepting what is” offers me a way to move through that with grace.

I’m into using January as a fresh start.

I’m always trying things and making fresh starts throughout the year, but January feels like such a clean slate that I can’t resist.

December is this dark, cozy time where we let ourselves eat and drink all the goodies, and we spend time playing games and watching movies under blankets.

Then comes January, and it feels all clean and stark and fresh (at least to me).

December is such a contrast of energies. We want to party and at the same time, we want to hibernate.

The holiday season makes this month feel frenetic – shopping, errands, post office issues, and socializing. Ah, socializing. Who else has trouble getting their head around putting on an entire outfit down to shoes, and the idea that people want to shake hands and share plates of food? Not to mention small talk...

(Maybe the pandemic has made me an introvert.)

When you set a boundary, there’s a very good chance that someone will think of you as a villain because they will disagree with your decision and possibly judge you as not being a good or nice person.

For those who struggle with people-pleasing tendencies (me included) the idea that someone won’t like me or think I’m a good person is almost paralyzing. But as Carlos points out in the podcast, you can either be liked by everyone for being a false version of yourself, or you can be true to yourself and be seen as a villain by some people.

Another way to look it? Every villain is a hero to someone.

“What’s the most challenging thing you could do right now?”

It made me think about how we are when we start a new job. We want to be seen as valuable and likeable. We want to make a good first impression. We want to “start the way we mean to continue.”