Own 2025: Make It Yours

In This Issue:

The Concept of Year-Defining Events
January 12 is National _____ Day!
Inspiring Movie Recommendation
My 2024 Reading List

Year-Inspiring Defining Events (YIDE)

Last year, I introduced Y.I.D.E.—the "Year-Inspiring Defining Event" idea, inspired by Maurice Thibodeau, a bright light in our world. The concept centers on planning a special event that defines your year, adding purpose and intention to your life.

For 2025, my YIDE is to complete a portion of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It’s a dream I’ve held onto for years, and if the stars align, June will be the month to make it happen.

Looking back, I’ve been purposeful about YIDEs for over a decade. These planned experiences have enriched my life immensely, and my goal is to continue this tradition throughout my “go-go” years.

Here are some of my past YIDEs to spark ideas:

2024: Mt. Kusam Klimb; Build a Boat; Motorcycle Camping, Busking for charity
2023: Backcountry Canoe Trip; Attend Arlo’s Birth
2022: West Coast Trail Hike (Mother/Daughter); Solo Motorcycle Trip
2021: Broken Islands Kayak Trip
2020: Costa Rica
2019: Spartan Race
2018: Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip
2017: Hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
2016: Hosted a Couples Retreat; Vegas Marathon
2015: Visited Sidney, BC (now our home)
2014: Mindcamp
2013: European Mother/Daughter Trip

Plan your 2025 YIDE today—live intentionally and create a life filled with extraordinary moments. Click reply and share your past or future YIDEs!

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January 12 is National Tea Day

As someone who’s never had a cup of coffee in her life, National Tea Day speaks to my heart! My favorite tea is Bengal Spice. It’s caffeine-free, has a chai-like flavor, and is delicious hot or cold. Best of all, it’s impossible to over-steep. My only complaint? The boxes aren’t big enough!

What’s your favorite tea? Reply and share!

Must-Watch Movie: The Six Triple Eight

This WWII drama is based on an incredible true story, and it’s a cry-jerker that you won’t want to miss. The Hub and I both gave it top marks—reason enough to get Netflix, IMHO!

Seen a great movie lately? Reply with your recommendations!

What’s On Your Nightstand?

I doubled my reading in 2023 by committing to 15 minutes of daily paper-book reading and keeping an audiobook on the go. Here are some highlights:

Fiction: Anything read by Meryl Streep. Remarkably Bright Creatures & Starlight unforgettable were wins for me.
Non-Fiction: Living Untethered was a deep, thought-provoking read, and The Salt Path inspired me with its remarkable, true story, read by the author.

My 2024 Reading List is below, featuring mostly non-fiction with a sprinkling of fiction. Have any must-reads? Reply and share!

R - Read | L - Listened | F - Fiction

Practical/Science-Based

Return to Centre - Patricia Morgan (R): Practical, science-backed tips for balance.
Living Untethered - Michael Singer (L): Deep, thought-provoking, worth a relisten.
The Good Life - Robert Waldinger/Marc Schulz (L): Insights from the longest study on happiness.
The Mindful Body - Ellen J. Langer (R): Thinking your way to chronic health.
Outlive - Peter Attia, MD (L): Longevity advice; focus on grip strength.

Inspirational/Philosophical

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch (R): Classic, thought-provoking read.
Bird by Bird - Ann Lamott (L): Encourages writing "word by word."
The Creative Act - Rick Rubin (R): Reflective take on art and creativity.
Think Again - Adam Grant (L): Challenges beliefs with curiosity.
Emotional Agility - Susan David (L): Cool concepts about thought-blaming.
Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss (R): Negotiation insights like valuing "no."
Your One Word - Evan Carmichael (L): Finding focus for life and business.
Infectious Generosity (R): Love the idea of spreading generosity.
The Art of Interesting - Lorraine Besser (R): Cultivating the good life.
Lagom - Nikki Brantare (L): Swedish philosophy of balanced living.

Fiction/Storytelling

Amy and the Angels - Wendy Burton (R, F): Different but enjoyable read.
Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan (L, F): A poignant 2-hour novella.
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus (L, F): Delightful and engaging.
Starlight - Richard Wagamese (L, F): Powerful storytelling.
Tom Lake - Read by Meryl Streep (L, F): Exceptional performance.
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt (L, F): Similar to The Octopus Teacher.
Heartburn - Nora Ephron (L, F): Witty, read by Meryl Streep.
It Happened One Christmas - Chantel Guertin (L, F): Light and festive.
Really Good Actually - Monica Heisey (L, F): Drama-filled post-divorce story.

Creativity/Business

Feck Perfuction - James Victore (R): Encourages boldness in life and business.
Never Play it Safe - Chase Jarvis (R): Practical guide to freedom and creativity.
The Visual MBA - Jason Barron (R): Best consumed visually, not audio.

Happiness/Self-Care

The Happiness Track - Emma Seppälä (R): Science-backed tips for success.
Real Self-Care - Pooja Lakshmin, MD (L): Rejects cliché self-care ideas.
The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown (L): Focus on embracing flaws.

Personal Memoirs/True Stories

The Salt Path - Raynor Winn (L): True story, deeply moving.
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion (R): Reflection on grief and life.
The Role I Played - Sami Jo Small (R): Behind-the-scenes of a hockey legend.

Short and Fun

G’Morning, G’Night - Lin-Manuel Miranda (L): Best enjoyed in small doses.
Big Ideas for Curious Minds - School of Life Press (R): Philosophy for kids.

Follow-Up to Last Week’s Good News

In last weeks issue, Question of the Year, after mentioning Tree.fm, Benita Stafford-Smith, my life-changing mentor (from 20 years back), who now lives in Oman, shared this:“In a land void of forests, there is magic in the sounds of the sands! The stillness atop a dune in the Empty Quarter left me breathless with its beauty.”

Although I have been to the Middle East, I did not have this experience. Curious about it, I looked up the sound of sand dunes—and wow, what a way to discover the world through a new sense!

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That's all, folks; make it a great week! Steph