I read The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes in January, and I got fired up. I was ready to say yes to new opportunities that scared and challenged me, and to step out of my comfort zone.

At the beginning of the year, I said yes to reconnecting with my favorite people, going to a Warriors game, and moving to a new work environment.I understand that I am not Shonda Rhimes and nobody is going to ask me to do a commencement speech, but I thought my Year of Yes would involve more exciting challenges. I thought I would be saying yes to new and exciting ventures. So far, nothing major has happened, which is good because I want to be prepared for the next chapter.

The preparation stage

Before any major project or undertaking, there is a preparation stage. Without time to develop a clear goal, timeline, budget, and plan, the project will end in disaster.

I am now in the preparation stage before I say yes to a major transition. Part of the joy of reconnection is aligning with others in a similar position and gaining clarity before making any big moves.

I was talking to a friend who is also in the midst of a career transition, and she expressed something that resonated strongly with me.

She doesn’t want to work alone anymore, and neither do I.

I want to be part of a team and collaborate with others.

As I transition into a new season of my life, it’s important to move with intention and in alignment with my vision for the future. As I close out one chapter and move toward the next, this has felt like a bridge season. It is a critical time because it’s vital not to compromise my vision for the future.

My vision isn’t totally clear, but there are some things that I am very clear about:

  • Phasing out training as a career
  • Prioritizing my real life
  • Focusing on joining a great team
  • Reconnecting with people I enjoy
  • Staying in alignment with my values and authentic self.

Alignment requires the right environment, the right people, and the right timing.

My word for this year is alignment, and I believe it is key to my success.

The Right Environment

I was on a Zoom call last year when one of the speakers emphasized the importance of changing your environment. I changed training facilities in February, and I am so grateful to my previous studio owner, who provided the right training environment at the right time. The new training studio is much more upbeat, fun, and focused on client needs. I have also enjoyed working with him, another colleague from our old studio, and a new colleague who is an excellent physical therapist. It’s been great to see colleagues working with clients I haven’t seen in years and to hear laughter as people enjoy their sessions.

As I phase out training as a career and move to part-time, this is a much better way to make the transition. I am glad not to leave on a low note or out of desperation. If I had left training last year, it would have been because I was desperate to escape my environment, and when we get desperate, we do stupid things like settle for the short stick.

The Right People

My Year of Yes seems to be about reconnection, which is fine with me. Author Jim Collins, who wrote legendary business books Good to Great and Great by Choice, says it’s important for companies to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats. I think this applies to our real lives as well. Misaligned relationships are not fulfilling; they are draining.  After each reconnection I’ve had, I have felt a little more alive. The right people help me feel alive; they push me forward; they challenge my thinking; and they help me get better!

I need the right people in my life to keep me grounded, and I also want them to be part of this new season and walk alongside me.

The Right Timing

Alignment requires the right timing.

For the last few years, my life has felt like a bland, dull, and dry diet.  Imagine what would happen to a person who has been eating bland foods and then, all of a sudden, starts trying to eat a spicy, flavorful, and diverse diet. The person would get sick because their system couldn’t handle it. They would need to introduce new foods intentionally and slowly.

The same is true when we’re facing a transition season. Sustainable change happens incrementally and intentionally.

In 2024, I was dealing with the grief of suddenly losing my mother, leaving the church I attended for five years, moving on from the church system, my regret of not leaving my career sooner, and wondering how it all got so off track.

I couldn’t handle much more. Attempting a major transition during all of this would have certainly ended in frustration, disaster, and another round of settling for the short stick.

I have concluded that I would rather endure ten years of hardship, mediocrity, and disillusionment that propelled me toward a thriving future than spend fifty years in comfort and oppressive mediocrity.

Doing hard things makes you start to live again – Gina Carano

I have felt more alive than I have in years, and perhaps it’s because I have done the hard thing of letting go of the past and embracing an unknown future.

I have done the hard thing of reconnecting with people I lost touch with because of my own neglect of relationships.

Practically speaking, I am hoping for some more (good) hard things as we face the second half of 2026.

This week, I thought about signing up for the Double San Francisco 5K on Saturday and Sunday just because it’s a physical challenge that will take me out of my comfort zone.

Staying in alignment means staying focused on the vision, maintaining the right pace, and not forcing anything.

Here’s to having more exciting challenges in the Year of Yes!