Seventeen percent

I opened my journal on November 1 and breathed a sigh of relief—October is DONE.

Usually, a month with five weeks feels like a bonus. That extra week can be a gift: bi-weekly meetings get an "off" week, monthly reports have a bit more breathing room, and there’s often time to catch up.

Not for me.

Not this October.

It was a whirlwind, packed with work and family obligations that didn’t let up from October 1 to Halloween night, when princesses, goblins, and Swifties knocked on our door for Trick-or-Treat.

Professionally, between two out-of-town workshops and a full slate of strategic, client, and operational responsibilities at Positive Intelligence, it felt like I barely had a moment to catch my breath.

Personally, my oldest daughter turned 15, ran a longer-than-usual cross country season, and danced in a Quincea?era. And, on top of all that, we rescued a third dog, turning our house into a mini doggie daycare since we brought her home on October 6.

Now that you have had your puppy picture break, here’s where the numbers come in.

On November 1, as I opened my journal, I wondered, "How much of 2024 is left?"

A quick calculation gave me: 17%

And I loved that answer.

Seventeen is my lucky number. It’s my 15-year-old daughter’s jersey number. It’s also my birthday. (And no, it's not in my passwords, so don't even try.)

Seventeen percent. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s not nothing, either.

So I’m asking you: what are you going to do with the 17% that is left in 2024?

While January 1 may not be inherently magical, we all know that it brings a natural moment to reflect on the 525,600 minutes that made up the year. It’s a time to consider our hopes and wishes, the things that did—or didn’t—happen.

If you’re up for it, write back to me—or better yet, fill out this form. I’ll check in with you in January to see if you made your "would have, could have, should have" action plan a reality. Sometimes, all we need is one person to hold us accountable to take that step, make the change, or just keep moving forward.

Seventeen percent.

Not too much, not too little. Just enough.

Make it meaningful. Make it beautiful. Make it yours.

Thank you for reading this article. I draw on my experiences as a coach, author and speaker, as well as my roles of wife, daughter, mother, sister and friend to create content on meaningful connections and living authentically. I recently documented my 6-month Quest to "Shed the Heavy" and invite you to subscribe and follow along as I continue my progress. Other work that might be of interest: 52 Weeks of Meaningful Connections and my bestselling book Let Her Out: Reclaim Who You Have Always Been.