Year-End Reflections—Fear or Optimism: What’s your Choice in 2025?
As we approach the end of another year, 2024 stands out as especially challenging. America seems more divisive than ever, and this continues to ripple through both our personal and professional lives.
How have you coped with all the “noise,” while trying to maintain your sanity and look to the future with an open mind and heart?
This has been a taxing year, and many of us have been grappling with uncertainty and learning how to cope with it. It seems to me we have two choices going forward– walk in fear or walk in optimism.
I’ve learned a lot about myself in 2024, like:
- Being aware of possible future states is one thing; having anxiety about them doesn’t serve me or anyone around me.
- No amount of worry is going to change a situation.
- Acceptance is the key to opening up my mind to future possibilities and new ways to tackle different challenges.
Midway through 2024, I engaged a therapist to discuss my fears about our country's future. In one of our sessions, she said, “Fear is simply an emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Why are you stressing about a situation you cannot fully control?”
She had me take a personal inventory of what I think I do well in uncertain times and where I needed help.
One of the things I’ve leaned into this year is my entrepreneurial spirit, which has kept me going for years. I’ve started and run multiple businesses based on market changes and uncertainty, and it occurred to me that in order to have had success, I must have modeled the skill sets that entrepreneurs possess:
- They look for opportunities within any market situation.
- They love to find solutions to common problems.
- They are optimistic and tend to view hardships as learning experiences or temporary setbacks.
When I think of all of you, my colleagues in workforce and education, I realize that the collective “we,” have all these skills going for us! We’ve seen ourselves through so many situations (e.g., funding reauthorization, major funding cuts, policy makers who don’t get what we do) and yet we’ve always seemed to land on our collective feet and find new ways to tackle challenges.
I do not doubt that we will stand strong and find solutions to continue to do our work in an innovative way to help those we serve get the skills, training, education, and support necessary to build a better life.
Thank you for your leadership in workforce and education. These missions might not get a lot of glory but bring such resilient pathways to so many.
I hope you walk with me in “hopeful anticipation” and optimism as we keep an open mind and be ready to collaborate like we’ve never done before in 2025.
Rest up, as we are going to need your leadership. Have a blessed and happy holiday and enjoy our holiday card that celebrates our country's great diversity.
Celina
West Coast
East Coast