Yesterday I went to see the Hilma af Klint show at the Guggenheim and besides being one of the very best shows of the year, I also had the weirdest experience.

• I literally got the “spiritual chills” while reading the wall text about her séances and her communications with transcendent spirits.
• I felt the chill all over my body but I also experienced an energy flow and tingling and goose bumps on my head and upper body. I asked if other people had similar experiences at the show and was told yes.

I’m confident this spiritual experience is helpful in reflecting on the year. Navel gazing, while also looking to the future, is a perfect combination. And the show is titled “Paintings for the Future” – if that’s not a sign for me to look to Hilma af Klint for inspiration, what is?

With that as a backdrop, I’m sharing with you the three best and three worst events/experiences of the year (for me personally).

 

Read on below for my top picks.

 

3 OF MY MOST EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES OF 2018

 

#1:  My Nordic adventure

 

 

• Not a day goes by that I don’t think about some aspect of this trip.
• And, by the way, Hilma af Klint was Swedish. Of course, I felt a kinship with her. I bonded with that country on so many levels.
• Also proud of the fact that I planned this Nordic trip by myself. 5 exquisite weeks.
• But, credit must also go to Nat Geo because everything I know about trip planning comes from them.

 

#2:  Phenomenal improvement to my health and my osteoarthritis

 

 

• Absolutely no idea why, but my hip is 100% better.
• Obviously, the weight loss helped but I also credit my trainer, David Luis at my local Y, for the work he’s done with me to strengthen the muscles around my hips, thighs and my core.

 

#3:  Reframing of “Me” and what I do

 

 

• 3 people have shown up in my life to be my guides.
• All three have had an astounding impact on how I view what I do, what I consider my mission and how I communicate that to the world.
• You will hear more about this as I finalize the “reframe” early in 2019.
• In the meantime, big shout out to:
• Nick Belperio, who so matter-of-factly told me I was a writer and changed how I view myself. It was as simple, but as dramatic, as turning on a light switch in a dark room.
• Chip Conley, whose new book, “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” has really hit home. I’ve underlined half of the pages. Excellent insights on how to reframe your identity and how to cultivate a “beginner’s mind” so that you are always in learning mode. Chip and I have communicated on twitter and I hope when I finish the book, we have a chat and perhaps he’ll do a Q+A for me.
• Michael Quinn, writer and advisor extraordinaire, has been an excellent guide for me in shifting how I speak about myself both online and verbally. Great recommendations and tips. I’ve followed through on everything and the results thus far, outstanding.

 

Now to the dark side….

 

3 THINGS THAT MADE 2018 AN “ANNUS HORRIBILIS” (in the words of her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth)

And for those of you whose minds went right to the gutter, Annus horribilis is a Latin phrase, meaning “horrible year.”

 

#1:  Political Chaos, Stalemates, Incivility 

 

 

• While Washington DC is ground zero for this turmoil, a whole host of cities (NYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco) are disasters as well.
• Nobody holding political office today knows how to manage large, complex institutions to make them work. Where’s Bloomberg when we need him?
• Homelessness, public housing in disarray, city streets and subways getting filthier by the day, gangs in the Bronx chopping up kids with machetes.
• The stock market crashing. Government shutdown.
• And what are our local politicians focusing on? Legalizing cannabis. The world is going to hell in a hand basket but we can now go to work stoned and lead a pothead life. That’s political progress in 2018. Or maybe that’s the plan. If we’re all stoned, we won’t see how inept our leaders are.
• The whole situation is a disgrace and it’s not just a U.S. problem. It’s happening around the world.

 

#2:  MobRule by Hashtag

 

 

Not sure when – or how – this is going to end. This past weekend, it was Chris Rock’s turn, before that it was Kevin Hart.

• Major female exec, Heather Parry (Executive Producer of a Star Is Born), was just put on leave at Live Nation Entertainment for being verbally abusive and using offensive language after 10 employees filed HR complaints.
• It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. Activists were out to primarily take down the white male patriarchy. Now that it’s starting to hit the ranks of women executives and top names in Black entertainment, it’s becoming a different kind of problem. I have noticed the responses when it’s not a white male in the crosshairs, have been far more muted.
• Since two-thirds of women say they’ve been bullied by another woman at the office, this will definitely be an issue for 2019.

 

#3:  E-Scooters

 

 

• Adding E-scooters to this list, probably feels like a non sequitur but all I can say is: they ANNOY the hell out of me.
• It’s such a stupid idea – last mile transportation – but without a realistic plan for what happens when people leave these things anywhere and everywhere or they get vandalized and tossed into people’s backyards, swimming pools etc.
• It also appears that no consideration has been given to how riding such flimsy vehicles (that break in half or catch on fire) on city streets, filled with potholes, will not cause major problems. ER rooms are apparently filled with accident victims with serious injuries who have signed away their rights to sue, even when it’s a scooter malfunction that caused the accident.

 

Bottom Line.

2018 was a tough year and all my “spiritual chills” and intuitive hunches are telling me 2019 will be even worse.

I’m doubling down on the financial advice I always give: Save like crazy, live within your means, pay off your debts. Expect to get laid off – and plan accordingly.

That’s the kind of year it’s going to be.

And one final tip. If you’re going to be in NYC before April, see the Hilma af Klint show at the Guggenheim. I promise you will be inspired and you may find the “spiritual chills” will help you better navigate the year ahead, because it’s going to be a doozy.