Starting the Year with Intention and Humility
There is something almost magical about the turn of the calendar.
The days just after Christmas carry a different kind of light. A season of giving has softened us. Time with family or rest has reminded us of what matters most. Suddenly, a fresh year sits in front of us - wide open and full of possibility!
Even in business, leaders often feel more hopeful, energized, optimistic… even joyful!
It’s not because everything is figured out, but because something new feels possible. And that feeling matters more than we sometimes realize!
The Hope Is Real (Even If It Fades)
Unfortunately that early January energy often starts to fade by mid-month. The inbox fills up, meetings return, and fires need attention. The pace picks up, and before we know it, that lightness we felt a few days ago feels distant and fades back into heaviness.
But it’s not gone - it’s just buried!
It’s a lot like coming back from vacation. We return refreshed, inspired, full of ideas. And then daily life slowly crowds that feeling out. When that happens, it’s tempting to think we did something wrong… that we lacked discipline… or that we weren’t realistic enough.
But that’s not the truth. The hope didn’t disappear, we just stopped revisiting it!
Remembering Is a Leadership Skill
One of the most underappreciated leadership skills is remembering.
When leaders take time to reflect, to revisit what energized them, to reconnect with why they felt hopeful in the first place, something powerful happens. The mundane loses some of its grip. The noise quiets just enough to allow perspective to return.
We’ve seen leaders bring energy back simply by revisiting what they were excited for in any form. Talking with a loved one, looking at photos, reflecting on what they learned last year instead of what went wrong.
Remembering reinforces the good. And over time, it pushes out what feels heavy or draining.
Fewer Goals = Deeper Meaning.
Another place leaders often lose momentum is goal setting.
More goals do not create more clarity. They usually create more pressure.
What works better is choosing one or two goals that truly matter. This works because they connect to something deeper. When goals are tied back to the feeling of hope, optimism, or purpose you felt at the start of the year, they become grounding instead of exhausting.
One Simple Practice to Protect Your Energy
If we could recommend just one thing for the first week of January, it would be this:
Write down your why
Not a polished version or something for a slide deck. Something real.
Why do you choose to lead?
Why did this year feel full of possibility?
What is good about what you have done and what you are becoming?
Then revisit it often. This practice alone can anchor you when the grind returns. It reminds you that leadership is not just about outputs or results. It is about meaning, contribution, and presence.
A Gentle Encouragement for the Year Ahead
You do not need to manufacture motivation this year - you already felt it!
You don’t need to overhaul everything or push harder than ever. You simply need to return, again and again, to what mattered when the year felt full of light.
Leadership begins there.
If you want additional clarity as you step into the year, the Fail-Safe Leadership Assessment can be a helpful reflection tool. It offers insight into communication patterns, blind spots, and leadership habits that shape how you show up, especially when things get busy.
However you choose to start this year, we hope you do it with humility, intention, and genuine excitement for what’s possible. You’ve got this!!