Turning Trials into Triumphs: My 2024 Journey

I can confidently say 2024 was one of my life's most challenging and pivotal years. From managing an intense travel schedule to weathering major organizational changes, this year stretched me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. But amidst the chaos, I uncovered three big “aha” moments that have helped re-ground me in the things I care about most. It has also helped me to rethink some elements of how I approach leadership, life, and my own well-being. These insights were wake-up calls that helped provide personal growth and evolve my leadership approach with a focus on bettering my overall health and well-being, as well as providing some positive impact on those (who) I am grateful to lead.

Building Confidence Through Small Wins

It started in March. Three months into a tough organizational restructuring that cut our company in half, nothing seemed to be improving—at least not in my immediate area. I felt overwhelmed, doubted my contributions, and struggled with imposter syndrome. To regain some perspective, I turned to a simple yet powerful practice: acknowledging small moments of progress.

I began to notice and celebrate small victories, such as acknowledging the small successes of others, completing a challenging task, or taking a rare moment to recharge. These actions reminded me that progress doesn’t always have to be monumental. By embracing the incremental steps forward and celebrating small moments of joy, I started to rebuild my confidence and motivation.

This mindset soon became a cornerstone of how I approached leadership. I encouraged my team to identify their own small victories, fostering an environment where even the smallest progress felt meaningful. Leadership, I’ve learned, thrives when positivity is shared, and energy is transferred. Starting team meetings with “Tell me something good that happened yesterday?” has helped us set a positive tone for the rest of the meeting, look at challenges as opportunities, and celebrate the wins, no matter how small (like traffic was light today).

The small-wins approach did more than restore my confidence—it helped create a ripple effect. Team members began contributing their own wins, whether personal or professional, and the energy in our meetings and office shifted. Over time, this practice became a shared habit that strengthened our team dynamic and allowed us to focus on what was going right even amidst the difficulties and sometimes seemingly hopeless days.

Just Keep Swimming

This year underscored the importance of resilience—the ability to stay the course even when the road feels uncertain. While resilience and tenacity have always defined a good part of me, I purposefully made them my guiding principles, allowing me to adapt and press forward despite an increasingly constrained environment.

I focused on showing up every day with consistency and determination, putting more emphasis on what is realistically achievable given the limitations of available resources.? We prioritized flawless execution, but we added the context of our environment to more appropriately define what “flawless” meant. This approach kept me grounded and gave my team a leader they could count on, even in turbulent times. Moments of doubt were inevitable, but perseverance proved more effective than striving for unattainable ideals.

By modeling this steady determination, I demonstrated that leadership is less about immediate perfection and more about sustained effort—a lesson I’ll continue applying in the future.

I’ll be honest: this shift in mindset has been freeing. I’ve learned to embrace progress over “perfection without context” and to give myself grace in the process. And that’s a lesson I’ll carry into 2025: when in doubt, just keep swimming.

Unlocking the Potential of Gratitude

Amid the challenges of 2024, one unexpected discovery stood out: the transformative power of gratitude. During a particularly stressful period, I began starting each day by reflecting on something I was grateful for. I only started because my planner had a prompt that I had ignored for years. I just wasn’t a “daily gratitude” kind of person, and I honestly struggled with the thought of some big thing for which I was grateful. Then one day, after getting a text from one of my daughters that brought a smile to my face, I found myself staring at the prompt, “What am I grateful for?” so I wrote it down. Initially, it felt trivial—almost like an obligation. But as the weeks went by, I realized how this practice actually changed my outlook.

Sure, practicing gratitude included acknowledging positive moments but moreover, it became about reframing my perspective. Just as with work, daily gratitude doesn’t have to be monumental, things like “I saw two male blue jays this morning outside my office window,” or “my friend’s daughter got her 1st college acceptance,” and “my favorite new song was playing when I got in the car.” Writing these things down allowed me to look back at the week through a different lens. And guess what? It was always “a good week.”

It’s a beautiful thing.

This gratitude practice gave me a way to anchor myself in the present and look forward to the future with hope, no matter the challenges. Carrying this practice into 2025, I aim to deepen its impact—not just as a personal habit but as a real leadership tool. Gratitude has shown me that balance emerges when I focus on what truly matters. There is an element of positivity in every situation, regardless of the stress.

The Road Ahead: Growing Through Lessons

Despite how rough it felt, I recognize this past year offered invaluable lessons, illuminating my path forward. Celebrating small wins, embracing resilience, and discovering gratitude have become cornerstones of my leadership and personal growth.

In 2025, I plan to build on these practices by cultivating positivity and fostering intentional growth both personally and professionally. Leadership truly is a continuous journey of learning and improvement driven by deliberate, meaningful actions.

I am committed to continuing to integrate these lessons into my daily life, creating a supportive environment for my team, and embracing the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead. Here’s to a year of growth, possibility, purpose - and swimming. Cheers.