Episode 673 - What is My 2023 Word of the Year?

Today is our last Monday Show until after the New Year is upon us! In keeping with tradition, I will share with you the word of the year, why it was chosen, and what I hope it will mean - even though we all know we find different lessons along the journey.

I will also let you know what is happening during the time between Christmas and New Years for content.

Livestream Schedule this week:

Tuesday Live with John Willis and Ed Hubbell from IridiumSolutions.caLFTN Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGZgu0AKUSI

Today's Sponsor: Paul Wheaton od Permies.com and Wheaton Labs

https://permies.com/link/lftn

Paul Wheaton has developed a truly passive greenhouse that can grow through the winter with no additional heating. Not only that, but it won't overheat in the summer months! How's that possible?

Find out by watching the Truly Passive Greenhouse movie:

https://permies.com/link/lftn

Email feedback to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

Every Nook and Cranny in the deep freezers are stuffed, as is the fridge with things to cook (Managed to decommission the two outdoor appliances)
Almost through the potatoes from the garden (had half a bushel)
End of year restock is primarily complete
Christmas Dinner from the pantry: Leg of lamb, roasted turnips and carrots, charcuterie and pickled things (Holler Neighbor Style)
In purge mode for a last push before the end of the year - lost the crap, keep the things we use

Weekly Shopping Report from Joe

The first stop was Walgreen's for some vitamins. Stock was mostly good, but there was only one left of a large size of "D," so we had to choose another size in order to use their buy one get one free.

Food City was next. Dry cat food was very limited, but they had a couple of 16 lb. bags of Meow Mix. They had a lot of Friskies boxed cans, so we added a box of those too.

Dollar Tree was next. We found some large 9Lives cans in there for the first time in months, and grabbed a few; not all our cats like those. The frozen food coolers were really sparse and most of the drink coolers are back to being nearly empty; I think it's the worst I've seen it. The health aisle is beginning to look picked again, but most other areas looked well stocked; there were less unrefrigerated canned drinks though. Both of the two lines they had open extended back into the aisles.

Same at Home Depot, which I ran in just to check the price of a 2x4x8. It's still $3.75. I did not look over any other areas, but it was fairly crowded, as spending season is at its peak.

Aldi was last. We got a few extra things in case we decide to put off next week's shopping, but grocery crowds shouldn't be too bad, so we'll likely go. We found what we wanted, including heavy cream. I didn't see any notable holes, but both lettuce and grapes did not look as good as usual.

Untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.999.

Frugality Tip from Margo

Here's a frugality tip on one of the most valuable things to me.....MY TIME (AND SANITY). For your holiday menu plan it out a month or so in advance. Gather the things you need and start cooking some things early and freeze it (and then take it out of the freezer the day before to thaw) Make sure you have all of the things you need the week before the holiday. I did not make rolls this year, I bought rolls and put them in the freezer, FYI Hawaiian rolls freeze and thaw very well. And save your sanity during the holidays and keep a stocked pantry y'all!

Operation Independence

The 3% checking account, emergency fund, and discipline

Night Before Christmas Countdown
Replay episode will not be replays - start your 2023 on the right foot. The importance of downtime.

Main topic of the Show: What is my 2023 Word of the Year

No year has ever been so hard as this year for finding the right word. Even last night, I knew the concept but not the word. Part of the problem is that I knew the concept I wanted but was not finding a single word to describe it. And the two word option I had was only a close fit, not the full breadth of what I wanted to focus on.

What is a word of the year?

Why do it?

Past words:

Grow (It is a choice and it is up to me)
Balance (You have to want it and boundaries)
Courage (The power of no. Letting go of insecurities. Sooner is better.)

Then we have this year. I strove for MORE. I worked harder. I played harder. I undid every lesson I leaned in the year of balance. I GREW my businesses. I made it over a really important personal hump: Increased cash flow to where I could finally take some from the businesses.

What the last five years have been like building LFTN and Holler Roast Coffee.

Had to have the courage to

Say no to things I was doing to earn money but that are distractions from the primary objective
Address conflict head on
Openly admit weaknesses
Stand my ground
Build personal talents from good to great
Become unapologetic

Where it has led -

Priority on things that are important to me on the non business side like the food forest, redoing my bathroom, box seats at the symphony, hiking, relationships
More opportunities of the kind I want
I am singing rock n roll again
Poised for fast growth

The words that did not change: Step-change, 10x

What it means
Problem: Balance

So what could I do? There is a glass ceiling that is not ok and I need to break it. It isnt due to my gender, my background, my level of education or what anyone thinks of me. It is there because of me. My mindset. My perception of what is possible. My hangups. The glass ceiling is of my own making.

The worst part is this: It is glass so I can see through it.

There are lots of reasons why it is there. Every one of them is an excuse.

The other side of that glass ceiling looks great. I want to go there. But there is this glass ceiling that needs to be broken.

And the cool thing about glass is that it will break. And 2023 is the year I break it. With whatever I can use to do so. My hands, a hammer, a rhinoceros, my head. Whatever it takes.

For every word there is a flip side too: The sharp shards that will hit me as I make my way through the glass. I expect that to be there too.

So my word of the year, which encompasses both the goal to move beyond my perceived constraints. The word that also prioritizes balance and priority to my spirit, body and heart. The word for 2023 is .

I don't know exactly how things will go, but I am excited to start, have already started. And you will see the first steps in January

This is the last non-interview podcast before the break so rather than our usual closing, I leave you with this - Make it a great break yall.

GUYS! Don't forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.

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Premier amour, premiers déboires avec Emilie Mazoyer