'24 and what comes next
Last January, like this one, blew in with a lovely blanket of snow, exhilarating … the freshness of a new year full of possibility. Then, BAM! February waltzed in, landing a gut punch: Cutbacks at my place of employment, and lucky me, I “made the cut!” I took it well. Despite being the only cut on my team. March, April and May came and found me wallowing – yeah, just keeping it real here – in a professional haze, wrestling with imposter syndrome, and barely eeking out the motivation open my laptop. When the haze cleared a bit, I’d drive around the westside praying for something more meaningful than a paycheck. Then I’d hit the HomeGoods store for the much-needed reminder that paychecks can also feel meaningful. Along the way there have been some really amazing moments of clarity. So what are the big takeaways going with me into 2025?
Every good story has a bunch of chapters, and you have to finish one, to begin another. Finish well. Leave the room better than you found it.
Once again, get this through your head: Your worth is not your work; your work is not your worth.
Not being on the call list, on the comp list, on the ‘you’ve got something I want list’ can feel pretty damn great. When you invest in people for who they are, for how you can learn from them, not what they can do for you, they’ll always take your call.
In the words of Mel Robbins (whose book The Let Them Theory is now on repeat in my head), “Feelings are just visitors. Let them come and go.”
Not gonna lie. I’ve spent some time in the rough in ‘24. But I’m shifting into 2025 with realistic expectations of this fresh new page in a brand new chapter. What about you? What are you bringing into this new chapter in your story?
