The 100 Years Club Installment #105: What Will You Do With 16,000 Minutes?

Why do I love the word “penultimate?”

It means “next to last.” That implies that we get one more chance to reflect on what we’ve done and do something right or better than what came before.

As of this writing, we have 11 days left before 2024 ends. That’s approximately 16K minutes, which is a whole lotta time (not counting sleep) before the ball drops at Times Square.

Just because the last digit of the year changes, we’re not suddenly going to become better versions of ourselves.

In fact, if you over-indulge this season, you might wake up a worse version.

You still have time to do some meaningful things.

Here are my holiday traditions to ensure I end the year strong. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to celebrate yourself and others in the 16K minutes that remain.

1. Tackling household projects, like getting all my crap ready for my accountant. (Sorry, CPAs…I know you don’t view it as crap.) I’ll also start the downsizing process this year in preparation for my move next summer.
2. Celebrating with the other “holiday orphans” who don’t have local families.
3. Watching Golden Globe-nominated movies. Sitting in a recliner in the dark with a bag of popcorn is like yoga for me. I can escape for two hours into a whole other world. Love Actually is one of my fave holiday movies and watching it every year is obligatory for me.
4. Opening gifts that I bought for myself. (See these 2024 gifting tips.) I also scheduled a massage, facial, hair appointment, and weight-training sessions. Self-care is better than self-pity. Speaking of which…
5. Avoiding social media “fiction” and doomscrolling. Of course, everyone covers themselves with tinsel and sparkles on digital platforms like IG, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn. But that’s not the REAL reality. As someone who works in the industry, I’m especially aware of the frequent disconnect between our souls and moods and our digital footprints. So, even if a friend, family member, or loved one appears to be having the best time online, reach out this holiday season to find out how they are doing and wish them cheer.

Wishing you lots of sugarplums dancing in your heads, along with light and love, this holiday season. Use those 16K minutes wisely!

And watch for the ULTIMATE end-of-year post (because  this one was the penultimate).

P.S. I created this video almost 10 years ago, and it’s proven to be truly timeless!