Choosing Your Path Forward: A Realistic Look at Embracing Change

I’m so excited to be back to my Monday blogs! After a few weeks of website updates, I felt a bit in limbo, so thank you for your patience. As I considered what direction December should take, I kept returning to the quote on this week’s featured image:

“What if 2020 is the year that changes everything?”

When that quote was created, it was meant to be inspiring — a nod to possibilities, new adventures, and a fresh year filled with hope. Fast forward eleven months, and it holds a different kind of power… one none of us could have predicted.

The Change None of Us Saw Coming

2020 changed everything.
We learned what true social distancing feels like — isolating, quiet, and lonely.
Masks became both protection and fashion statements.
Zoom transitioned from a niche tool to the centerpiece of our social lives.
Businesses closed, schools shifted, routines disappeared, and my favorite West Coast mouse took an extended vacation.

Life slowed in a way that felt refreshing — until it didn’t.

We thought June would bring “normal.”
Now, we’re still not sure when “normal” will return… or if it ever will.

But global change is only part of the story.
What about you?
How did this year change you?

The Ice Cube Concept — Why Small Steps Matter

In Atomic Habits, James Clear uses one of my favorite illustrations. Ice melts at 32°F.

Does the work of raising ice from 25°… to 26°… to 30°… not matter because nothing visibly changes?

Of course not.

Those small, unseen degrees make the transformation possible.

Clear writes:
“Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions.”

But most people give up before the ice ever reaches 32°.

We stop because we don’t see results fast enough. We assume the effort isn’t working.
But it is working — behind the scenes, inside the process, beneath the surface.

Small steps create massive change.

Forced Change vs. Chosen Change

We were forced into change this year.
But what would it look like to step into chosen change?

Chosen change moves you:

• Toward your dreams

• Toward healthier habits

• Toward alignment

• Toward your ideal life, career, or environment

One person’s version of change will never look the same as someone else’s. Your definition matters. Your pace matters. Your direction matters.

My Word of the Year: Peace

Every year, I choose a word instead of a list of resolutions.
For 2020, my word was Peace.

I envisioned a year of:

• Peaceful decisions

• Peaceful relationships

• Peace-driven opportunities

Things started beautifully. And then… March 17, 2020.

A date I remember clearly — the day everything stopped.

Instead of the world celebrating with green beer and community, we were all suddenly at home, wondering what just happened.

The rest of the year included:

• Health challenges

• Family stress

• Major business shifts

• Emotional exhaustion

• Endless uncertainty

And yet…
Peace still showed up.
Not perfectly. Not always. But enough to remind me that even in chaos, I can pursue what grounds me.

Small Steps Create Hope and Forward Movement

Seven months later, things still feel heavy.
Self-care vacations became organizing staycations.
My people are states away, and the disconnect grew in ways I didn’t expect.

But through it all, the same question remains:

Do I stay where it’s safe but stagnant… or do I choose change?

The same question is waiting for you, too.

You can stay in the space that feels predictable, even if it’s uncomfortable —
or you can choose the path of growth, energy, and focus.

Small steps matter.
Small steps build momentum.
Small steps create transformation.

Which Path Will You Choose?

Every day, we have the privilege of choice.

Stay where you are, or take the next step toward where you want to be.

Change is uncomfortable.
Change is vulnerable.
Change is inconvenient.
Change is also powerful, life-giving, and deeply freeing.

Which direction will you choose?

If fear, perfectionism, or old patterns hold you back from making meaningful changes, the Perfectionism Workbook can help you identify your values and take more aligned steps forward.

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