Live Your Life with Purpose, Passion, and Power in 2024 🔥
What are your goals, plans, and resolutions for 2024?Join me as I share my goals, plans and resolutions for the new year.
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to embark on a new year of adventures, discoveries, and growth. As you know, my goal for launching Life is a Journey is to continue exploring the world with you and inspire you to live your dreams.
Whether you are a seasoned traveler, a curious learner, or a passionate volunteer, I hope you will find something in this newsletter that resonates with you and motivates you to pursue your life journey.
Let’s take a walk in the forest, paddle in a lake, float along a river, and enjoy all that life has to offer. Let’s build a community that shares our life lessons, fun trips and outings, delicious food and restaurants, and philosophical views. With purpose, passion, and power, together we can make our community and the world a better place for all. 🌎❤️💪
My Commitment to Ensure Democracy
2024 is a leap year, the year of the Summer Olympics in Paris 🇫🇷, and a crucial year for democracy in the U.S. 🇺🇸 and around the world 🌎.
We have one extra day in 2024, so let’s make the most of it. 🙌
This year is not just any election year, 2024 is the biggest election year in history and a pivotal moment for democracy, as millions of people around the world will cast their votes in regional, legislative, and presidential elections. 🗳️
Democracy is not a spectator sport. It requires our active involvement and participation. It also requires our vigilance and awareness of the threats and challenges that democracy faces in the 21st century.
Here are some of the key dates and events to watch out for, and some of the stories and issues that matter to me:
Taiwan: Taiwan’s elections will take place on January 13 amid rising tensions with China. 🇹🇼
Russia: Russians will go to the polls on March 17. President Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 2000, is expected to be selected for a fifth term. 🇷🇺
Ukraine: Ukraine's planned presidential vote on March 31 is likely to be postponed with the nation currently under martial law. 🇺🇦
India: The people in the world’s most populous nation will go to the polls in April and May to decide whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will secure another term. 🇮🇳
Mexico: Mexico will hold a presidential vote in June that could be the largest in Mexico’s history and for the first time, a woman could be selected to lead the country. 🇲🇽
United States: The presidential election cycle in the U.S. begins in earnest this month with the first caucuses in Iowa and primaries in New Hampshire. 🇺🇸
These elections will shape the future of our communities, country, and the world amid rising challenges and opportunities. But these elections also face threats from misinformation, manipulation, and mistrust. That’s why democracy matters.
Democracy matters because it gives us a voice and a choice.
Democracy matters because it protects our rights and freedoms.
Democracy matters because it empowers us to make a difference.
That’s why I am committed to supporting campaigns, candidates, and causes that uphold democratic values and principles, and to encouraging voters to exercise their rights and responsibilities. 🗳️
2024 New Year’s Resolutions
My New Year’s resolutions for 2024 continue to focus on gratitude and living my life journey with purpose, passion, and powerful action every single day. Here are some of the things I plan to do in 2024:
Self-care: My health and well-being are my priorities, so I plan to reach my ideal weight by this summer. I will exercise regularly, enjoy outdoor activities, and practice mental health. I will visit the gym, dentist, doctor, and optometrist to stay in tip-top shape. 💪
Family and friends: I am looking forward to spending quality time with my family and friends this year. We have some exciting celebrations and trips ahead, for birthdays, a UCLA graduation, and visits across California, Oregon, Mexico, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington. 🎓
Learning: I will learn new things every day, mastering the next level of Spanish, familiarizing myself with the names of native birds and trees, reading more books, watching more documentaries, and listening to more podcasts. 📚
Exploring: I will explore and enjoy nature in my backyard and beyond. I will try new outdoor activities, such as fishing, and continue my camping, gardening, golfing, hiking, and paddling. I will also visit new places, such as Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and New Mexico national monuments. 🥾
Writing: My passion for writing and storytelling drives me to create engaging content for my readers. In 2024, I will continue to publish Life is a Journey weekly, launch my new book Ready, Set, Go!, lead the Writers Corner program for the Oregon Chapter of the National Writers Union, and write my first fiction book, a murder mystery novel. 🖋️
Serving: I will serve my community and the world by supporting campaigns, candidates, and causes that matter to me. I will help the Bethlehem House of Bread, Mexipets, National Writers Union, Oregon Chapter for Sierra Club local outings, and the Portland Fruit Tree Project. 🍎
Voting: Saving democracy will require commitments at many levels to vote, volunteer, and voice support for critical candidates, including Jamie Mcleod-Skinner for Oregon Congressional District 5. 🗳️
Let’s make 2024 the best year in history. Happy New Year! 🎉
Love it! Self-care is my NY resolution, too!