Pause. Skills. Set-up. Dream
PAUSE. SKILLS. SET-UP. DREAM | JANUARY 2026
Happy New Year!
I must admit, December was busy. Really busy. There wasn’t much space for pause. Lots of work…so much so that I received an email this month informing me that I was December’s leader for top use of our handheld phone access Power Chart Touch. Apparently, I viewed over 900 charts in 30 days, which is…pretty impressive? Concerning, maybe…but definitely geeky.
I suspect the other Consultant who likes to compete with me for “deepest use of Power Chart Touch” will be plotting a comeback.
Anyway. January is a much easier month. Lighter and a time to breathe. It’s also my birthday month and I’ll be celebrating in one of my favourite places…you guessed it - Brazil! I cannot wait to be melanated into a delicious chocolate brown, dance, and drink fresh maracujá (passion fruit) juice by the beach every day.
While many people are thinking about pause, I’ve been thinking more about the unlimited tries we get to do in life. Every single day, we get another chance to have a go at living. I lost one of my best friends before she turned 30. Every day since, I have been intentionally living a life of real gratitude.
This all led me to reflect on a big key question as we go into the New Year:
What are my minimum daily requirements for myself?
If I’m not meeting them, then it’s time for a reset.
I strongly believe in starting each day by giving something to yourself before you give of yourself to others and the world. That might be the gym, reading, prayer, yoga, journaling, stillness, a morning coffee and cheeky pastry - whatever fills your cup. Fill yourself first. You’ll be a better nurturer for it. You cannot help the world if there’s no fuel in your tank. Fill up, then drive and only then start picking people up along the way.
So how do we do this?
By removing the noise, even briefly. By creating space. By resisting the urge to mimic other people’s desires. A book I highly recommend is Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire by Luke Burgis. The central idea is that human desire isn’t innate; it’s learned through imitation. We often want things simply because we see others wanting them.
So ask yourself:
What is my minimum daily requirement
What do I actually need
What do I want
And why do I want it
From there, let’s talk about the next step.
How do I get these things?
Here, I urge you to harness skills rather than dreams. Many people are thinking about pivoting, changing careers, or imagining something new this time of year. My encouragement is to start by anchoring yourself in what you already do well.
Write down three to five things you’re good at in your job or life. Is it networking? Building relationships? Bringing people together? Problem-solving? Write as many skills as you can. This exercise alone often quiets self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
If you struggle to do this, ask a trusted friend, mentor, or colleague. Being seen through the lens of someone who knows you well can reveal blind spots and surface strengths you take for granted.
Next, marry those skills to your potential next move. Identify strengths. Notice gaps. Then create one or two clear action steps:
What small next step can I take
Who could help me
What would make this easier
What support already exists that I’m not using
And please don’t reject the bicycle.
By that I mean this: before bicycles, travel was on foot. Messages took ages. Your world was small and mostly limited to your village. The bicycle changed that. It expanded reach, access, opportunity, and imagination.
What is your bicycle?
What tool, system, relationship, or shortcut already exists that could help you go further, faster, with less strain? Find it. Use it. Leverage it.
So, as you figure out your plans for the year, I’ll leave you with something a dear friend once said to me:
Time, joy, and money are your three most valuable assets.
If something is taking a huge portion of one, it must yield significant returns in the other two.
I wish you all the best this year. Enjoy the daily unlimited tries we get at life. Aim to extract the most from each day. One day, you’ll look back and realise that your refined skills quietly led you to ‘living the dream’…daily.
So to finish, I leave you with this famous ancient Roman poem:
How to Live (Horace, Odes, Book One, 11)
Don’t waste your time, Leuconoé, living in fear and hope of the imprevisable future; forget the horoscope. Accept whatever happens. Whether the gods allow us fifty winters more or drop us at this one now which flings the high Tyrrhenian waves on the stone piers, decant your wine: the days are more fun than the years which pass us by while we discuss them. Act with zest one day at a time, and never mind the rest.
– Derek Mahon, The Hunt by Night (1982)
This week I have been…
Reading: Breath by James Nestor - a deep dive into the lost art of breath work
Watching: Death Cap Mushroom Murders (Netflix) – The Patterson court case
Listening: "First Love" by Chronical Deep. Back on the deep house and excited for more dancing and love this year!
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