Happy New Year!
Ah, January. Ye of resolutions, leftover holiday treats, the last scraps of Christmas cheer lingering like unwanted party guests. I love a chance for a fresh start and some navel-gazing, which probably explains why I've always loved the anticipatory countdowns and the flip of the page to January. I'm not one for making hard and fast resolutions that I burn out on by mid-January. I am one for thinking about the month and year ahead and working on all the things I already knew I needed to work on.
2016 was a big year for my little business. Growth is good but it's also scary. A few weeks ago I was working on something that had fantastic potential but which also scared the hell out of me. I was chatting with a friend and fellow career pioneer about it and was explaining that I seemed to be following a trajectory that was getting familiar: "*hand is level* Wow, okay, this is interesting, this is exciting *hand goes up* wait, what am I doing *hand starts coming down, like a rollercoaster* oh my god this is terrifying I have no idea what I'm doing I am going to bomb *hand crashes out* okay, wait, I think I got this, I just need to rely on my experience and believe in myself *hand starts coming back up*" You get the idea. So imagine my delight when I discovered a much more eloquent visual version of this insane journey of throwing yourself out there:
Image from john.do.
There's nothing quite so reassuring as knowing you're not alone, especially when what you're doing is new to you.
That visual reminded me of another one. I don't know who drew this, but I think of it often, whether in work or in rowing or in my personal life.
These are things I'm reflecting on as we begin a new year. Wishing you good fortune, fun adventures, just enough challenge and fear, and the guts to see it all through.
