Hello, friends. It’s that time of year! As we ready ourselves for another decade, I’d like to share what’s on my heart.

Let’s be honest. For much of 2019 and the couple years prior, we’ve been individually and collectively fighting for position. If we’re not pushing to secure power, we are struggling to preserve it. It goes without saying that we are so deeply entrenched in our respective opinions that it seems no amount of information or collection of facts can dissuade us from what we think is right or fair or even humane. These last few years have challenged our shared humanity in more ways than I can count. It’s been disheartening, to say the least, and I have not been immune. I’ve said a couple things I’m not proud of and I’ve thought even worse things. It’s been ugly and painful…and sad.

If you’re like most people, you’ve begun thinking about what you want out of 2020. It’s resolution time, after all. We set goals. We organize. We “clean house” – literally and figuratively. Personally, I’ve been thinking less on what I want from 2020, and more about who I want to be. I traveled to visit my great aunt this past week. She is 95 and failing. This was probably the last time I will see her, and I got to tell her all the things I wanted her to know. I told her that some of my favorite childhood memories begin and end with her. That her unconditional acceptance of me shaped the person I have become. That she is unforgettable and beautiful and tough. She told me, as she always does, to stay happy and healthy. And that she is proud of who I am as a person. These moments serve as powerful reminders that what we do is important, but who are is what lives on.

So, who do I want to be?

I want to be worthy of the trust others grant me. I want to be a person who builds bridges and facilitates healing. I want to humanize people while I courageously stand for our shared humanity. I want to seek common ground and nurture it where possible. I want to call out injustice without having to degrade anyone in the process. I want to show my children and yours that love is a powerful force and justice is, too. That honesty matters and integrity is the lifeblood of true success. I want to continue to be a helper. A giver. A go-to “place” of encouragement and support and celebration.

As you contemplate what you might resolve to do in 2020, I encourage you to add some “who” to the “what.” Resolve to work out more, to eat better, to reach higher, to dig deeper. Do all of that. But also resolve to be more of who you were destined to be in the ways that matter most. Heal yourself. Respect yourself. Celebrate yourself. Encourage yourself. And then turn that energy outward. Hold somebody’s hand. Get to know someone new. See people for who they are and can be instead of seeing them as a manifestation of the mistakes they’ve made. Forgive. And then love.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year. May this new decade – and every day in it – be even #morethan you imagine. I look forward to building bridges with you in 2020 and beyond.

All my best,