A few months ago, the hubs and I took a trip to Maine and Nova Scotia to trace our Cajun roots. It was meaningful, grounding, and—lagniappe—beautiful.
One thing I didn’t see coming was the tidal range in the Bay of Fundy—the largest in the world, with water levels rising and falling as much as 40–50 feet.
At high tide, boats float calmly in the harbor. A few hours later, the tide recedes—and those same boats are sitting on dry ground, resting on the ocean floor.
At high tide, the water covers everything. You see the surface, but not much else. At low tide, what was hidden becomes visible—and suddenly, the good stuff is everywhere.
Sea glass. Jasper stones. Fossils dating back a buh-zillion years. None of that appears because the tide went out.
It was already there.
It simply became visible.
That’s reflection.
Reflection doesn’t create the gems—it reveals them.
And yet, reflection is often the very thing we skip.
The Lather, Rinse, Repeat Trap
Nothing changes unless something changes.
And yet… it’s so easy to live the same year over again. Different calendar. Same habits. Same patterns. Same default responses.
I get it. Lather, rinse, repeat feels efficient. Comfortable. Safe.
Or, as Ron Burgundy famously says in the movie Anchorman, “60% of the time, it works every time.”
Leadership isn’t about repeating what once worked—it’s about choosing what works now.
And maybe you’ll get lucky and it’ll work again.
But we all know where that road leads—doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results (bless).
This isn’t necessarily about fixing anything. It is about noticing.
What worked? What actually moved the needle? What energized you? What drained the life right out of you?
Just because something worked then doesn’t mean it’s the path forward now.
Leadership—of your work, your team, your life—is about knowing what to carry forward… and what needs to evolve.
Why Reflection Is Where the Learning Lives
I’ve spoken and written a lot about reflection over the years—personally, professionally, and with teams. Creating the space—and the grace—to slow down and really reflect is a big part of the value I bring in my coaching.
Educator John Dewey said it best:
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.”
That’s where the nuggets live. That’s where the lessons surface.
But too often, we’re already sprinting to the next thing. The next project. The next opportunity. The next bright, shiny object.
No pause. No low tide.
Anybody else?
You’re a WIP (And That’s the Point)
I recently heard a term used in project work: WIP—Work in Progress.
Well. That really spoke to me.
Let’s pull the thread on that thought.
I’m a WIP. You’re a WIP.
And that’s not a flaw—that’s a growth mindset.
Progress matters. Momentum matters. Forward motion matters.
There’s research that backs this up:
Happiness isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress.
Seeing yourself move. Stretch. Learn. Adjust.
But here’s the thing: you can’t make intentional progress if you never stop long enough to notice what’s actually working.
Otherwise, we end up Tetris-ing our lives—cramming more and more in, rotating the same pieces, filling space without ever asking if the game we’re playing still makes sense.
A Simple Question for 2026
So before this year fills up—
before the tide comes rushing back in—
ask yourself:
What will actually be different this year if you keep doing what you did last year?
2026 doesn’t have to be Groundhog Day.
It can be a year of choice.
Nothing changes unless something changes.
Watch the video here.
