A Simpler Life for 2025

I was fortunate to spend the winter holidays in Belize with my family. We enjoyed several amazing inland adventures including the unbelievable ATM cave system – a cave with a river running through it that extends underground for miles and contains ancient Mayan artifacts and remains. Then, we adventured out to the reef and swam with sting rays, sharks, and even a manatee!

Throughout our time in Belize, we were always interacting with local Belizeans – at restaurants, on the beach, and as tour guides. We found the people to be kind and engaging – I was out for a run and several offered to give me a lift as it started to rain, and we stopped our golf cart so the boys could look for frogs and the first cart that came by offered assistance.

I was struck at how simple life is for many of these people. Most do not attend college, and the annual average per capita income is $11,000. Yet they seem happy, helpful, and proud of their heritage. According to one of our guides, it is a long path to get certified including 8 different tests, and several types of licenses needed – including CPR! Our guide at the ATM cave was taught by his father, and is in turn teaching his brother. As they told us the stories in the cave, you could see how proud they are of their heritage.

In comparison, every year I find life in the US becoming more and more complicated. We are on the go 24 / 7, work at desks all day in front of computers, then spend our time at home on smart phones. Even our health system is ridiculously complex – I’ve been in practice now for 26 years and can say with great confidence I no longer have any idea how it works! I’ve never been in a room with a doctor who wanted to tell me stories of how proud he or she is of our American health system heritage. A lot of the communication I hear is negative – people work too much, relax too little, have too much stress in their lives, not enough sleep, and worry about the future, sometimes not taking time to realize what’s in front of them right now.

One of my goals for 2025 is to take home a lesson from Belize: complexity does not buy happiness. We can find joy in the simple things in life – a discussion with a friend, a long walk on the beach (or in the Colorado outdoors), a simple meal created with a few high quality ingredients. Imagine a day without your phone. In San Ignacio, there was virtually no internet – imagine the quality time we had with our family as everybody unplugged and spent time together.

Take time for yourself this year. Spend it doing things you actually care about, with people you want to be with. I hope this simple message can help you (and me) enjoy a happier and healthier 2025 together!