“Better to arrive late than ugly.”
~ Orville, the Oracle
1. Re-listen to one podcast at least three times this year.
(With each re-listening my brain will be different and thus, so will be the learning I take in).
2. Introduce my Reclaiming the Heart of Human Connection presentation (based loosely on The Myth of Normal, Anchored, The Body Keeps the Score books and others) to 100 people this year.
(If you feel called to be one of them, email me at: FloweringBrain@gmail.com)
3. Write a page-a-day on a subject of great interest to me.
(The daily discipline sends a positive message to neural networks operating below consciousness).
4. Inquire daily on ChatGPT (https://platform.openai.com/playground) concerning something I’m curious and want to learn more about.
(Curiosity works on BDNF [Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor] the way Miracle-Gro works on plants).
5. Average making and initiating contact with a new friend a month who feels like I’m curating my social circle upward.
(Exposing the brain regularly to new nouns – people, places and things – is also beneficial for BDNF).
6. Practice refreshing awareness as often as I can remember to, being increasingly open to receiving.
(The capacity to “be here now” strengthens the brain’s Executive Function, q.v.).
7. Pay at least once-daily attention to those times I’m acting wisely – widening my perspective to be aware of a bigger picture at work in the world.
(Perspective-widening strengthens prefrontal circuitry, especially when it effectively works to override our threat-detection circuitry).
8. Play at cultivating and practicing an innocent state of wonder and appreciation not tethered to utility or survival.
(Safe play frees up neurogenesis and synaptogenesis).
9. Pay attention to any possibility the Universe sends my way for potential collaboration this year.
(Just as the brain works best through the healthy connections it makes, so do you and I).
10. Post these resolutions over – and in front of – the toilet where I can reread them every day.
(Repeated exposure is one way the brain transfers learning into long-term memory).
The Flowering Brain 
I love your list, Mark! Thanks for sharing it with us. It’s a good nudge!
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