Reflections on my conversation with Thomas Curran on last week’s episode of The Courage Effect, where he talks about his book, shares personal stories about how perfectionism impacted his life, and his larger research on the topic.

I invite you to join me in not only celebrating new beginnings, but conclusions. Set aside the time to look back at 2023 to ponder what was great, the painful, and the unexpected. What gifts did it render? What are we ready to leave behind? In turn, we then shift to develop a clearer vision of what’s next.

Recently I’ve been sitting in a space of beginnings and endings – feeling an array of emotions including excitement, loss, and acceptance across my experiences.

Looking back on this past year, I’m reflecting on where I – and my clients – took chances and reaped measurable rewards.

September is my favorite month of the year. As the temperatures start to drop (even by just a few degrees) and the days become shorter, it gives me a feeling of welcome change and renewal. Some people think I’m crazy, mourning the end of summer as they slog back into old routines. But for me it’s a chance to hit the reset button.

With the new year comes both reflection on the past 12 months and intention setting for the 12 that lie ahead.

When doing some updates to my website a few weeks ago, I realized I hadn’t posted to my blog in months. I took a moment for inventory, and discovered there was more to me not writing than I expected.

Over the past few weeks, one of my morning rituals has changed: I’ve found myself going into my closet and selecting clothes that I haven’t worn for a year.

We’re now firmly in the final weeks of 2020, counting the days before we can put this year behind us. Holiday cards share the theme of stepping on the accelerator and blazing 2020 quickly into the rear-view mirror.