Hello friends, 

It’s nearly New Year’s Day, which means the air is filled with ambition, regret and an unnerving sense that the grass is greener. (It is greener here in Vermont, but that’s because of climate change.) In any case, I know many of us are setting goals and reflecting on 2023 accomplishments. 

While I’ve historically advocated tangible metrics, this year I slowly returned to a different approach. About 11 years ago, a friend introduced me to the concept of creating a theme for each year as a fun and effective system for organizing the year’s priorities.

As I reflect on my 2023 theme — courage—I can honestly say I missed the bullseye. So I’m wondering if I should roll it over into 2024. Or is that just another attempt to validate my efforts? It’s funny how validation becomes the focal point so quickly. The need to feel capable or witness achievements is deeply ingrained in pursuits of growth and development. 

This past May, I started liberating myself from many systems and tools I used to track progress. The Garmin watch was the first to get stashed away. Eventually, business-related projections were swapped with servant- and service-related projects. The departure from metrics helped me to rediscover a validation of the situations that led me to feel fully alive. True validation comes from within, not from a wristwatch. 

Liberation has a way of disrupting the status quo or following the herd of ____ (fill in your own blank.) While calendars serve as excellent and useful systems for planning, erasers or delete keys are also helpful. As two organizational psychologists argued, there’s tremendous value in organizing your life to meet your psychological needs.

It’s normal to feel hopeful and eager to set goals when entering a new year. Although, consider the liberation that comes with disrupting old paradigms. Perhaps, in letting go of the need to follow conventional wisdom or external measures, you can find a deeper, more authentic sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year, no matter how you measure it (or don’t).