Own 2025: Make It Yours

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!

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

Contributed by Stephanie Staples at Your Life Unlimited

by Stephanie Staples

Own 2025: Make It Yours

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