Reflection

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

The first week of March 2020 I got on a plane to fly to Houston, Texas. COVID-19 must have just been starting to become a concern because I remember I questioned whether or not I should shake the client's hand when I arrived. I finished that engagement and flew home, not realizing that it would be the last time I would travel for work for the next 4.5 years.

After a year of being fully grounded there was the occasional trip out to company HQ, but weekly trips around the world had ceased to exist. I haven't traveled to a client since that Houston trip which is why it feels eerily surreal to be back at the airport, flying to my first on-site speaking engagement since then, which just so happens to also be in Houston.

The coincidence makes it impossible not to reflect on everything that has happened since. It’s hard not to wonder where I would be if things never shut down, but I’m fine not knowing because I wouldn’t trade the last few years for anything. I am a very different person now and I’m proud of the person I have become. Do you feel the same way? When you reflect back over the last few years, have you changed for the better? Would you do anything differently?

Asking that question is important not because you should dwell on what could have been, but to see what might still need to be. When we say I wish I did X, we are reminding ourselves the things we still wish to pursue - not just unrequited dreams, but character traits and skills we still need to develop. No matter how proud I am of who I have become there will always be room for growth. As we approach the end of the year there is no better time than now to reflect on the things we are grateful for and set a course for what’s next.