Today is day one of the new year. Yesterday was 123123. 12th Month, 31st Day, 23rd year. I don’t like to talk about resolutions specifically; I would prefer to talk about growth. 2024 is a leap year, so instead of 365 days, we have an additional day – February 29th. Wouldn’t it be cool to do something on the 29th of Feb that we only wanted to be reminded of it every four years?

Fan Ways to Celebrate a Leap year

Ways of celebrating a leap year, especially February 29th, offers unique opportunities for fun and memorable activities. Here are some ideas:

1. Leap Year Birthday Celebrations: If you or someone you know has a leap year birthday, throw a special birthday party. Since these birthdays come only once every four years, it’s a perfect excuse for a grand celebration.
2. Time Capsule: Create a leap-year time capsule. Fill it with items, letters, or predictions and decide to open it on the next leap year. This is a great way to mark the passage of time in a unique way.
3. Leap Year-Themed Meaningful Party: Host a leap year-themed party with frog decorations since frogs are great leapers. Include leap year trivia and games for an educational twist.
4. Special Offers and Deals: Look for leap year specials. Some businesses offer discounts or special promotions to celebrate the day.
5. Charity Events: Organize or participate in a charity event. Since leap years are extra special, use the day to give back meaningfully.
6. Travelling: Take a leap year trip. Since it’s a rare date, it could be a great excuse to visit a place you’ve always wanted to go.
7. Try Something New: Use Leap DayLeap Day as a chance to leap into something new. This could be as simple as trying a new hobby or as big as making a significant life change.
8. Marriage Proposals: In some cultures, leap day is seen as an ideal time for women to propose to men. Whether you follow this tradition or not, Leap Day can be a romantic and memorable day for a proposal.
9. Reflect and Plan: Use the extra day to reflect on the past four years and set goals for the next four. It’s a great opportunity for both personal and professional reflection.
10. Leap Year Sales: Take advantage of leap year sales. Some retailers offer special deals and discounts to celebrate the day.

Remember, leap year, intriguing especially February 29th, comes only once every four years, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to do something unique or start a new tradition!

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Living by Day vs By Date

What if we try living by day vs by date? Choosing to either count down from 366 or count up. How will you choose to grow this year? Living the year “by day” rather than “by date” is intriguing and can offer a fresh perspective on time management and life experiences.

Here are some thoughts on this approach:

1. Simplicity and Focus: Living by day number (e.g., “Day 1” for January 1st, “Day 2” for January 2nd, etc.) simplifies the calendar. It removes the mental clutter associated with months and dates, allowing for a more focused approach to daily life.
2. Equalizing Days: This method treats each day as an equal unit of time, which can encourage a more balanced approach to life. It removes the typical emphasis on weekends or specific dates, promoting a steadier, more consistent lifestyle.
3. Goal Setting and Tracking: When living by day number, it’s easier to set short-term goals and track progress. For instance, you might set a goal for “Day 30” and have a clear, straightforward deadline.
4. Psychological Impact: Removing the traditional calendar structure could alleviate the stress associated with certain dates, like deadlines or anniversaries. It could make time feel more continuous and less segmented.
5. Learning and Adaptation: It might take time to adjust to this system. Initially, converting day numbers to traditional dates for communication with others could be cumbersome.
6. Unique Perspective on Time: This method can offer a unique perspective on the passage of time. It emphasizes the journey through the year rather than rushing toward specific dates.
7. Just for fun: It’s not necessarily a practical approach. Its just for fun. My Birthday, for instance, will be on day 297

Here is a link to a calculator that you can use to find out the number of a particular day: Click Here

Overall, living the year-by-day number is an interesting concept that could offer a fresh, simplified approach to time management, but it does come with practical challenges in a world organized around the standard Gregorian calendar. I have a countdown timer on my phone, and as I plan for the future I put in specific dates that I plan to do something significant.

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I have been trying to find ways to get out of my comfort zone whenever possible, which is a great strategy for growth. I can tell you that it is much easier to stay in my comfort zone than to get out. In 2022, I travelled to places where English was not the primary language. It was great for street shooting. Plus, I made some everlasting friendships.

Finding my Path

There is a great app out there that allows you to write to your future self. Although Gmail also allows that. Why not try that? It’s private and allows you to check in with yourself.

Last year was a chance for me to figure out where I am heading in my life. What direction am I taking? I chose my path going forward. In 2023, I put some guidelines in place to stay on track. One of my problems was mobility and stability. I started working 3- 6 days a week on mobility. Initially, I just wanted to get up off the floor without needing a catapult.

Ocean Survival – get in the boat

While I was in the UK in 2023, I took a course on ocean survival. The one thing I couldn’t do was to get into the lifeboat from the water. It’s not the easiest of tasks; it requires mobility, strength and flexibility. A lifeboat has a ladder that hangs down so you can put your foot into the sling and propel yourself up and in. An ocean rowboat, however, does not have a ladder.

If you cannot see the video in the email, you will need to see this post on the website. by clicking here

2024 will be a Year of Physical Change

Moving forward, weight, strength building, and growth in every part of my life. I have found that if you move out of your comfort zone in the three levels that my friend Rhonda Britten, the author of Fearless Living, explains. She calls them Stretch, Risk and Die. A stretch is the easiest venture out of your comfort zone. It is just a simple reach… for me, it is reducing my coffee intake or choosing a cup of tea. The risk would be writing a blog using my actual name vs an alias. Die is to do everything under my name vs an alias. I have always been a Behind the Scenes kind of guy, promoting others.

To die for me was travelling to Seoul and Thailand and taking the Ocean Survival course rather than reading about it for 10+ years. Growth happens when you step out whether it is a simple stretch or a harder step such as a risk or a die. I should mention that the more you take these steps, the more growth happens, and then your stretch becomes your comfort zone, and your risk is just a stretch, and your die is just a risk… and then your die becomes easier and easier because you practice and put steps in place to prevent it from scaring you. All of this happens without you even realizing that you are changing and growing.

Having Courage or being Courageous

I have become much more observant of the courage of friends and family as they leave their comfort zones. Some stretches include getting on their stationary bike more regularly or taking risks by learning the transit system and not allowing distance to stand in their way. Supporting family members despite the distance or personal life. Meaning they stayed with their aging parents, forgoing their own life. Taking a train or a bus vs driving there. Taking dancing lessons or singing lessons. Trying new things and venturing out. Stretch Risk or Die is an easy method of growth.

I like the idea of going day by day… You could even see it as a day out of the total number. We all have 366 days left of this year or 365, depending on your time zone. What can I do to venture out of my comfort zone every day? I don’t need to go far out of it. I can do a stretch. One of my dies seems to be to start a Youtube channel just about me. A friend whom I have mentioned before has a channel and he just walks and talks. I likely will also do this method along with progress reports etc as I try to grow on a regular basis. One person said to me… will that even be interesting to anyone? Well just like this blog, it is interesting to some but not to all. Plus you don’t have to read it. You get to decide on any given day. Just like choosing what you will wear…

You can choose how your day will happen. Are you going to be happy or sad or are you going to choose to stay in that comfort zone we are all so fond of? Will we follow others? Read what others have to say; follow this blog or that one. Watch that YouTube channel or this one.

What is my fear?

My fear has always been looking silly or not getting it perfect. I have needed to learn that it doesn’t matter. One saying that I love is “some will, some won’t, so what?”. Meaning that some people will like it, some will read it, some will watch it. Some won’t watch it, read it, or like it. So what! Should it hurt me? Absolutely not. My goal is not to please everyone. It’s just to get it out.

Youtube Channel

I actually have a YouTube channel, and I have two subscribers but no content. I didn’t know till I created this channel that you don’t know who your subscribers are. YT doesn’t list names. My channel seems to be: https://www.youtube.com/@stanhudecki

What if you launched a blog or a YouTube channel with the intention of just posting stuff? Approach it without caring about followers or making money. What if you put it all under one roof. Your own name, for instance? My friend Eric doesn’t allow comments and I don’t think that he has monetized his YT. I am really doing this to get out of my comfort zone and to get past my primary fear.