For the past couple of months, I have been involved in storytelling events, and I'm striving to improve. I am also seeking meaningful work and defining the impact I want to have in the org/company and community in which I work, all while quietly creating something to support those things in the background. I was accepted to a storytelling event on December 18th, and the theme is Beloved Community, so I have been pondering my personal meanings and definitions of community, especially outside of the cafe I built over 20 years, where I built a strong understanding of it for myself. All of that is leading to my most recent iteration of what Community means to me: I believe community is something intentionally practiced, shaped, and held. It requires people willing to take responsibility for the conditions that allow others to belong, especially when doing so is inconvenient or uncomfortable. This is intertwined with true hospitality, not as a transaction, rather as an ethical stance and a way of being in the world. This value is lived through restraint, leaving space for each person to grow at their own pace; through courage, the willingness to remain present through discomfort; and through discernment, knowing the difference between what is authentic and what is superficial. Community of this kind does not happen by accident or emerge from goodwill alone. It is the work of staying present without controlling, of holding dignity without rescuing, and of choosing relationship and connection over convenience. Some questions to ponder: Do you have strong thoughts and feelings around the meaning of community? Are you one who takes responsibility for the conditions? Have you been more comfortable appreciating the belonging aspect? Are you seeking community? Do you feel like you have a strong community? ................. You don't have to answer all of these, or even answer them here. I just find these to be great prompts for thinking, meditating, writing, conversing, and sharing.

What are your top 3 goals for 2026? These can include life goals, business goals, and habits you're thinking about or visualizing for this year.

Lately, I’ve been rolling the word restraint around in my brain, heart, and tongue. I’m leaning into the uncomfortable yet deliciousness of it, like a hard lemon candy. By restraint, I don't mean holding back Love. I don't mean politeness, making myself smaller, or silence. I mean holding Love wisely. The kind of restraint that lives in the pause between the impulse and intervention; the kind that resists the urge to smooth over, fix, rescue, or explain. It trusts people with their own dignity. Restraint is choosing not to make myself the center of every moment of care. It is the choice not to rush in, not to fill the silence, and not to force resolution, protecting what is trying to surface and the relationship holding it. I'm learning that restraint is what keeps True Hospitality from becoming control. It is presence without intrusion, care with boundaries, and Love that lets everyone Be. In my life, restraint has often been misunderstood as indifference, overlooked in systems that reward urgency, and taken advantage of by people who assume calm means endless capacity. And still, I am choosing it. Because restraint isn't weakness. It's strength under conscious direction. It is an ethical stance and a form of leadership I have quietly learned to trust through practice, beneath my conscious awareness. This process is uncomfortable. It is precise. Once tasted, it is hard to give up. Where in your life are you practicing restraint without calling it that? And what might change if you trusted it as a strength?

If you could access shift your mood, instantly calm your nervous system, and feel less stress in one fell swoop, would you want to know? This one thing is free, accessible anytime, and will cause ripple effects of positivity healing yourself and the world. I could tell you. But here's the thing. Knowing this makes no difference. You have to practice it and discover the impact in your life. This week, your challenge is to watch the video below starting at 8:36 - 20:48 and find out that 1 thing. Then do one or more of the following: 1. Do this 1 THING spontaneously during triggers or habits 2. Practice doing this 1 THING in the mirror for 30 seconds daily each morning 3. Do this 1 THING while you do a 1 minute exercise you don't enjoy Share back what you discovered on this post. This 1 THING will relax the body, sending safety signals to the brain, helping you feel more grounded, present and in deeper connection with other humans. LAST WEEK: How'd it go? Let us know here on Mojo Monday Week 19! Then of want to further solidify this 1 THING, share the love and comment on 2 people's posts. A few moments of *actually* doing this will help you feel more connected in community. NOTE: Just ONE MORE WEEK of MOJO MONDAY Challenges! Continue enjoying Qigong replays on Mondays moving forward.

I’m not one for New Years Resolutions- I rather prefer to set intentions. Some might argue that there the same, but the framing, for me, is the difference. How about you? Do you make a list of New Year’s resolutions? Or intentions? Share them if you like, or any thoughts on them!