#67- 2025 No Cherished Outcomes

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First things first...after multiple requests, Layne has returned, and she has some very wise words to share. 

What if letting go of expectations could transform the way we navigate life's uncertainties? This episode of Curating the Curious explores this concept as we reflect on 2024, a year that challenged us in very unexpected ways.  Embracing the idea of "no cherished outcomes," inspired by a Celtic poem (and Liz Gilbert, of course), we discuss how releasing our grip on expectations can lead us to something more. 

As we close a challenging chapter and step into a new year (that's already looking pretty daunting honestly), we examine new perspectives gained from facing life's hurdles. Stay curious, be brave, and join us as we navigate the journey ahead with an open heart and mind, ready to meet whatever comes our way.

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Episode Transcript

LeAnna (00:01):
Welcome to Curating the Curious, the podcast that
celebrates staying curious inlife and never settling into a
box.
This show is for the creators,the seekers, the explorers, the
truth tellers and the foreverstudents of life, no matter what
age or stage you're currentlyat.

(00:22):
This is not as good as it gets,and it is never too late to
begin.
Join me as we explore all ofthe questions that come with the
idea of curiosity a place wherethe possibilities are endless
and you can always start again.
If I had to ask you what is oneword that sums up this past

(00:48):
year, 2024, what would it be?
Your honest, honest answer.

Layne (00:54):
Probably weird.

LeAnna (00:58):
Weird.

Layne (00:58):
Weird.

LeAnna (01:00):
Okay, can you expand?
Okay, can you expand On a scaleof one to 10,?
How good was 2024 as a totalyear?

Layne (01:13):
Maybe a five.

LeAnna (01:14):
A five, that's generous.
I would give it a two, I don'tknow Okay.
What was the best part of 2024?

Layne (01:30):
probably going to Oahu with you guys and Canada.
I loved going skiing.
That was really fun.
Yeah, yeah.

LeAnna (01:38):
That's probably my favorite two parts yeah, those
are some highlights, all right,okay, and then, how old are you
now?
I'm 11.
Wow, I think the first episodethat you spoke on, I think you
were six.
Yeah, I was like six years old.

Layne (01:56):
Were you six or seven?

LeAnna (01:57):
Yeah, I think I was six and I'm 11.
And how old am I now?

Layne (02:01):
You are 49.
49.
Right.

LeAnna (02:07):
Okay, 49 as of about a month ago, it's been an
interesting year.
It, out, of all the years ofyour life, which one has been

(02:29):
the hardest?
This one.
This one Same.

Layne (02:34):
A lot has gone on, really Same Same.

LeAnna (02:40):
Same for a lot of people 49 years, hun Out of 49 years.
This is my hardest year andI've had some tough years here
and there.

Layne (02:54):
But this one, this one took the cake Friend issues with
me lately.
That's probably about the worstpart of this year had some
friends that done bad stuff andit was tough, for sure.
Same and election.
Yeah, a lot of stuff is justpretty tough this year, you know

(03:16):
.

LeAnna (03:16):
Yeah, and ordinarily I would say why would the election
affect you?
But it does, because it affectseveryone, right?
Yeah, you're a fifth grader,you shouldn't be affected by
that, but there's just so muchstuff in the world I know.
So how does that make you feelabout going into a new year?

(03:40):
Do you feel like you're goingto have a fresh start?
Do you feel like excited tostart again?
Do you feel like it might bebetter, or what are you feeling
about?

Layne (03:51):
I feel like very excited because I just feel like it'll
start just like a fresh new year.
You know, I just have a goodfeeling about this 2025.
I just feel like everything.

LeAnna (04:06):
You do will just eventually start coming back
together Well the one thing Ican say about this year is that
it has by far been the hardestyear of our lives as a family,
as individuals.

Layne (04:23):
That's why you stopped writing for a while, right, Well
?

LeAnna (04:27):
yeah, yeah, I had to get some stuff together that was
more important than this.
But I will say, the one really,really positive part about all
of that is that I think that youand daddy and I came that much
closer and we learned that muchmore.

(04:49):
And I feel like I feel like,even though even the ending to
this year was bad losing uncleBrian and all of that horrible,
um, it's terrible I feel like,even though the ending of this
year has even been pretty bad,that we are going I don't know,

(05:12):
we're kind of erasing the slateand we're starting anew and
we're closer and we're a lotmore informed about a lot of
things going into next year.
For sure yeah, and that is why Ichose the words no cherished

(05:32):
outcomes for this coming year.

Layne (05:35):
Yeah.

LeAnna (05:35):
And I explained to you what that meant, and that's what
I want to talk about.

Layne (05:40):
Definitely, I mean that's a what I want to talk about.
Definitely, I mean that's areally good thing to talk about.

LeAnna (05:44):
So no cherished outcomes are my three words for this
coming year.
What do you think about nocherished outcomes?

Layne (05:52):
I think that it seems like a good idea to just take
your time and not be settinggoals.
And you know, like, becausesome people that's just like in
the house, like I'm getting thisgoal done right now, like let's
go, come on, like I'veexperienced many people who are

(06:13):
like that Yep, and they did notturn out very well and they lose
sight of.
Life, life, that's all they careabout.
So that's a really amazingthing I feel like you should
talk about, because it justteaches you to like take your
time and like let go Loosen yourgrip, yeah, on life, mm-hmm,

(06:37):
loosen your grip on expectations.

LeAnna (06:40):
Where I got the words no cherished outcomes there,
there's a poem and it's calledthe Celtic poem of approach and
it goes like this I honor yourgods, I drink at your well.
I bring an undefended heart toour meeting place.
I have no cherished outcomes.
I will not negotiate bywithholding.

(07:02):
I am not subject todisappointment, and I got this
from a podcast episode with TimFerriss and Liz Gilbert, and
when they were talking aboutthis, they were using it in the
context of like when you'remeeting a new person or you're

(07:24):
opening up to a new relationship.
But as soon as I heard it, Idecided these are my words for
2025.
Oh yeah, and it's not to saythat I'm not going to make plans
or I'm not going to have goals.
It just means that I will do mybest.
Take your time, yes, withoutbeing tied to any particular

(07:47):
outcome.
Yes, the happy ending scenariois just being completely cut out
of the picture from thebeginning of the year, and the
focus is going to be to embracethe uncertainty of what is
coming and do my best to meet itwith an open, malleable,

(08:07):
curious mind, because I believe,just like fear, light is
contagious and I am going tobuild myself and you and daddy,
my family a force field of lightfor 2025.
That's so nice and the focuswill be on the ride instead of

(08:27):
the results.
There will be grace, there willbe joy, happiness, happiness
Mostly joy is what I'm aimingfor and I'm positive there will
be more pain, hopefully not asmuch as this year, please.
More pain, hopefully not asmuch as this year, please, every

(08:52):
year though, please God.
Please God, but through it all,we will have no cherished
outcomes.
So am I coming back to thispodcast in 2025?
Yes, yes I am, but aftersifting through my projects, my
priorities, my obligations andjust life, this is like that one

(09:12):
thing that I can't seem toshake Like, I can't get it out
of my head.
It just keeps coming back to me.
So I'm coming back, but again,no cherished outcomes.
So I'm not making any promises,no huge announcements, nothing
like that.
But we're coming back.

Layne (09:35):
Oh yeah, right, we're going to be doing this more
often.

LeAnna (09:38):
Yeah, and before we say goodbye to this hell of a year
and welcome in the next one,lane has some words she's going
to read to you.

Layne (09:47):
I don't care if you love your best life.
I hope you live your freestlife, your most unburdened life,
your lightest life.
I hope your life is a patchworkof lessons and trials and joys
and mistakes, and growth andevolution and expansion.
I hope you understand thatrejection, failure,

(10:10):
disappointment means you care,you're trying, you're out there
in life, alive to it.
I hope your life feelsbeautiful to you more than it
looks beautiful to everyone else.
I hope you're free and that youkeep freeing yourself from who
you thought you should be, fromwhose society told you to be,

(10:33):
from heavy expectations andweighty ambition.
I hope you know when you're in amoment you'll remember forever.
I hope you know how good youhave it when it's good, and I
hope your life is.
Life is in an ongoing evolution, a constant becoming.
I hope you shrug off old selveswith ease.

(10:57):
I hope you leave empty space inyour life for the unknown, the
magic, the surprises, theunexpected.
I hope you don't just aim forthe best and instead aim for
full whole, ever evolving,unconfined and unrestrained.
Mostly, I hope you take thepath that is meant for you, not

(11:21):
the one that is expected of you.
Thank you for listening to me.

LeAnna (11:26):
Wow, that was so good and that was by Jamie Varon,
unfortunately not by me.
You thought it was at firstright and you were so impressed.
Oh yeah, what does that mean toyou?

Layne (11:42):
It's just I feel like that's just an amazing message.
It's just powerful, telling usall to go with the flow and your
pace of what you really want,not anyone else.

LeAnna (11:57):
But she says I don't care if you live your best life,
I hope you live your freestlife.
Be free, take the path that youfeel inside of you instead of
the one that you think isexpected of you.
Be you.

Layne (12:14):
Not someone else that you don't Right.

LeAnna (12:17):
Okay, that was beautiful .
Thank you.
I'm glad that you joined me onthis, because I really don't
like talking to myself.
And you're a big girl now.
You're 11.
So you can help me All right.
So we're starting big girl, nowYou're 11.
So you can help me All right.
So we're starting a new year.
We're saying goodbye to this.
Gross year, gross year and dowe have?

(12:43):
Anything else to say?
I don't think so.
No, okay, I guess the onlything we have to say is Stay
curious.