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Hi,
Sooooo, how were your holidays? Mine were very chill, spent lots of time with family and friends. Plus, I had a little time to focus forward and while I had said there wouldn’t be an issue of Niki’s Notes on January 4th, here I am! I’m excited for 2024 and have interesting new projects I’ll tell you more about as they pick up steam.
Toward the end of every December I reflect on and journal about what I learned in the year as it’s drawing to a close. Mostly, I think about the lessons I learned and strategize how to apply them in the new year. I’ve titled 2023 “The Year of Letting Go.” There were many aspects of my life that weren’t aligning with where I’m going and early in the year, I realized something had to give. This meant letting go of: off-balance relationships, types of work that weren’t rewarding, and even pieces of myself.
As I moved through 2023, plans became realities, and I was increasingly grateful for what was taking shape as so many of my advisors had predicted. Synchronicities abounded and came faster and faster. I’ve come into 2024 more clear and excited. I’m not just envisioning, I’m resonating, and it is profoundly energizing.
If you want to know more, let’s find time to talk. But for now, here are the shares I have for you that I hope will help you as you lead your businesses with power and compassion.
- No doubt 2023 was a challenging year and there are a lot of reasons to kick it to the curb, but not so fast, because there were a number of good things that happened It’s important to remember that the news machine is skewed to feed us the negative. Perhaps if we make a concerted effort to feed the news machine a desire for balanced and positive information, we will revise its feeding habits and, therefore, change the nature of what it shares with us too. One can hope!
- What 847 women, VP level or above, who collectively manage $220 billion of the US economy, said about the gap between what they want to succeed versus what their companies think they want. Mind blowing—for all of us.
- I first heard of the Credit Card Competition Act in a daily newsletter I receive, but the piece felt very one-sided (consumers will get screwed) so I wanted to find out more. This from NerdWallet does a good job of giving a well-rounded perspective.
Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Boys Town 🌟
Long-time readers know the person who inspired my desire to actively support good causes started with my dad. He had his own reasons for donating every year to Boys Town, and I picked up where he left off when he passed away at just 40 years old. Today I’m proud to support a variety of organizations, financially as well as with spotlights here and in What’s Hot Wednesday for Digital Marketers. It warms my soul to help others and honor my dad, too.
Boys Town helps children and families heal and grow in body, mind, and spirit. They care for children in crisis, treat complex medical issues, help families find the parenting resources they need, among other services. They’ve been through a lot of changes over the years but their core mission resonates with me, and I’m happy to continue to support them.
- Here’s a networking event worth considering: JV Connect is a high-impact, multi-day networking event run by Michael Whitehouse, The Guy Who Knows a Guy. Attended by networkers looking to collaborate and make mutually beneficial deals, this event is built around intentional breakouts focused on creating powerful connections. The next event is March 26th and 27th, 2024. Details and tickets here.
- Do you strive to be a better CEO or top exec? McKinsey has some tips for you in a downloadable report.
- Entrepreneur Magazine asked, “Would you rather be mentored by Elon Musk or Oprah?” The question tickled my brain, but the comments contain a wide variety of perspectives. No rocket science here, but how people think is always of interest…
Noteworthy 🖋
Todoist
You know I’m all about productivity because it funds time for creativity and connecting people, my two major passions. So when I learned about the benefits of Todoist thanks to Marc Engelsman, I checked out the article he shared in The New York Times’ Wirecutter. Then I did my own research and decided that yes, I was going to give TickTick the boot and try the “Pro” version of Todoist for about $48/year.
Worth it already! It took no time to get my existing lists into Todoist and, as promised, it’s SUPER INTUITIVE. I was using it with ease within an hour. When I hit the ground running on Tuesday after the long holiday break, Todoist integrated seamlessly into my work routine. Thank you, Marc, Wirecutter, and Todoist. I’m even more excited about what I’ll accomplish in 2024 now that I’ve got this new productivity app on my side.
Do you have a growth mindset? I’m betting you do, but if you spend some time with Jonathan Herrick’s piece for Entrepreneur Magazine, you’ll know for sure. It focuses on the research of Dr. Carol Dweck, which showed a growth mindset is more than optimism: it stems from the belief that, “a growth mindset creates a passion for learning rather than a need for approval and an openness to being wrong as a pathway to knowledge.” Several attitudes/behaviors characterize a growth mindset: embracing challenges; resilience; effort; learning from criticism; and being inspired by the success of others. Let me know where you net out
And that’s it for this bonus issue. Let’s make 2024 a year filled with wonderful! Stay strong, stay focused forward, and let me know how I can help.
Niki