I always like to review the lessons I’ve learned during the year in my last blog of the year. Since it’s 2024, I present 24 lessons.

1. Great friends are like investments in jewels that can please you throughout your life.

2. Doing work you love that ignites your passion creates more energy than you can imagine.

3. When you want to be closer to the Creator, observe people at the beginning and end of their lives. You can catch moments of divinity when you are watching.

4. Even when you anticipate the answer may be, “no,” ask anyway. You might be surprised with a “yes.”

5. It is prudent to have multiple friends with whom to do different things.

6. Having multi-generational friends is a bonus. It helps you stay relevant.

7. It is gratifying when people, organizations, and businesses find value and impact in your work.

8. Something I enjoy the most is watching my grandchildren do things that light them up. It lights me up, too, to see it.

9. When it comes to necessary tasks that bring you dread, hiring someone who enjoys those tasks will not only provide you the freedom to use that time doing something you love but also the satisfaction of providing fulfillment to someone else.

10. Women who support other women have learned that together we rise. Competition breeds jealousy and resentment but support brings success for all.

11. As I age, I find time is my greatest asset and I work hard to spend it wisely.

12. If you don’t spend time with your grandchildren when they are young, don’t expect them to want to spend time with you when they become adults.

13. When you trust people, they tend to behave in trustworthy ways.

14. Imagining people reading my book in their native language provides me with a high I cannot explain. Diversity is a beautiful thing, and the fact we can share ideas worldwide in various languages is beautiful.

15. When you have big, hairy, audacious goals, it’s best to enlist other like-minded people to help you realize them.

16. I will always chase the chance to experience unique events. This year, I saw a full solar eclipse in Indianapolis.

17. If you travel a lot like I do, it is so worth becoming a member and gaining status on your preferred airline. Perks include randomly being bumped to first class and flying first class beats coach every time.

18. Sometimes, handshake deals are the best. I’ve made it over 20 years on a handshake deal that now brings me to Pennsylvania seven times a year to teach Choice Theory to people who work at two drug and alcohol treatment centers.

19. Losing friends to death is difficult, but it’s made easier when you become grateful for the time you had instead of wishing for more that wasn’t meant to be.

20. Not everyone you want to join you on your journey will be willing to afford passage.

21. When you need the television volume at 50 to hear while everyone else prefers it at 15, you probably have hearing loss and will greatly benefit from hearing aids.

22. Follow the path that opens for you rather than trying to beat down closed doors. It often leads you right to where you are meant to be.

23. Presents are not as important as presence, particularly in the age of cellphone preoccupation.

24. We often think there is more time—more time to say the things we want to say and do the things we want to do. Sometimes there is more time, but at some point, usually unbeknownst to you, time ends and the things you planned for “later” can no longer happen. Don’t wait. Do and say the things you want to do and say as soon as possible so you won’t have to regret not doing so.

If you took the time to read these, I hope you found one or two that are always helpful to you. Life is an excellent teacher when you are of the mind to learn.