By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
For me, it seems like all the holiday festivities are like to a pre-race load up of carbs. With all the food, gifts, and goodwill, are we preparing ourselves for the marathon ahead, better known as the new year? Is all this necessary? Of course, it is! 2024 is going to be a challenging year, and we need all the help we can get. I'm Ken Boone and this is my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY” This is my 50th and final episode of the year, setting a record for this podcast in a given year. If all goes according to plan, I’ll tie it next year and beyond. As you know, I made just three resolutions for 2024. In the last two episodes, I went into detail on Items 1 and 2. Today, I'll take a deep dive into Item #3. But as just a reminder, here are my three New Year's Resolutions for 2024:
As I’ve mentioned from time to time, perfectionism is not a good thing. In fact, it is a symptom of procrastination, which is one of my many character flaws. That’s the flaw that haunts me the most. How can I keep my procrastination to a minimum? By keeping things simple while sticking with what I know. Certified genius Albert Einstein once said that… “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” For over a half century I’ve been trying to be an expert on any topic. That must have driven family and friends crazy because it surely drove me nuts. And while I was busy growing my inventory of trivia, I was mastering not a single thing. After spending the better part of three years striving for excellence over perfection, I’m convinced that I will accomplish most things I’ll attempt in 2024. That can only happen if I apply all three items on my list of resolutions in an effective and efficient way. There you have it. My three New Year’s Resolutions for 2024 are now stated and set in stone. I'll publish the first podcast episode of 2024 on Wednesday, January 3rd, with a companion blog post on Friday, January 5th. But we’re not done yet. Calendar Year 2023 was an eventful one, complete with more than its fair share of triumphs and challenges. Here are just a few from my perspective: After four years, I ended my relationship with my previous podcast hosting site over a misunderstanding. Although it caused me a great deal of inconvenience, I was able to land in the right place for me. I found, relocated, remastered, and reissued 35 episodes of Celia's podcast, “ISO Peace & Healing” on a brand-new hosting site. Listening to them with a fresh set of ears reminded me of how great a host Celia is. At the same time, I also reissued nine favorite episodes of Angel Snipes’ podcast, that I renamed “I Have Things to Say”. I'm still praying that she will agree to record more new episodes in 2024. The government is still open for business, although temporarily. After months of insanity, we have a new Speaker of the House of Representatives, who may or may not be part of the lunatic fringe. Time will tell if he will be an effective leader, or if they will give him the boot like they did the last guy, who is taking his ball and going home. Wars are still raging in the Middle East and in Ukraine. Our allies in both wars are literally begging us for financial, military, and diplomatic aid. Whether we give it to them in a timely manner is anyone’s guess. It all depends on our wacky legislative branch of government and what side of the bed they wake up on. In the wide world of sports, I have nothing to cheer about. My beloved Panthers are probably the worst team in the NFL. It's difficult to watch them play week after week. They fired the coach after only eleven games in the first year of his contract. They’re starting to show flashes of decency, so I guess I can say, “wait until next season”. Thank goodness there were a bunch of Hallmark holiday movies to keep me occupied. The Charlotte Hornets aren't doing much better. But at least I can see their potential. With a few tweaks here and there, I believe they could be a playoff team. That's all I can ask for at this time, progress over perfection. It’s been a great year for the Philadelphia branch of Boone Clan. My brother, Mike, released his eighth jazz album titled “Enjoying the View”. As a bonus, he also released an online version of a live recording at no charge. My son, Kenny, who lives in Atlanta, GA, is on the board of his neighborhood business association. He told me that he’s been flirting with the idea of entering politics. To combat the homeless crisis, his organization established a warming center. He's always had a heart for others, and I couldn't be prouder of all he’s accomplished past year! As for Celia and me, we’re still living a life of leisure as retirees, although we are starting to lay the groundwork to restart our music ministry. Things are still in the planning stages, but there’s a chance we can pull it off in 2024. For the month of January, I'm going to begin executing my new content creation strategy. As I stated in Item #1 of my resolutions, my goal is to work smarter. That means that I will better coordinate my weekly podcast episodes with my weekly blog posts. There's no need to do double work. 2024 will be another presidential election year. It’s my wish that this election season will be more civilized than 2020 was, although I doubt that will be the case without some divine intervention. I’ll follow the races, but I refuse to get sucked into the theatrics as I was during the last two cycles. Parting Shots It’s time to turn the page to a new year. I’d like to express to you my heartfelt thanks for the support you gave me in 2023. Every time you listen, like, and share one of my episodes, you’re advocating for me. You’re the best, and I can’t wait to do it all over again in 2024. Take care, and God Bless! Today's Quote “Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new beginning.” Carl Bard – American Author and Poet
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About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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