An annual assessment of my professional and personal journey. The moment my finger hovers over the "publish" button to post this annual blog, a familiar mix of anticipation and vulnerability washes over me. In that instant, I'm acutely aware of the ritual I'm about to repeat for the ninth year in a row. As I hit "schedule," the muted sound of my laptop's fan serves as an unglamorous yet steady companion to this annual self-examination. Every year, I write and post this blog a

Every path is optional. Last Friday, while I was on my morning run, something I see all the time suddenly jumped out at me: every sidewalk that I ran on was a suggestion, not a rule. Some are smooth, some are covered in wet leaves, and some are cracked. From a directional standpoint, some take you exactly where you want to go, while others dead-end into a greenbelt. And, every once in a while, the sidewalk you think you're supposed to take turns into a frustrating detour that

It's time to look at being tired through the lens of gratitude. Like most people, I really looked forward to taking a few days off during the Thanksgiving holiday to recharge. For me, those four days represent the filling of a chaos sandwich that tends to be November and December – and one I fully took advantage of. I spent time with family, watched a lot of football, took in a few movies, and even read a little. However, as I was taking a breather from work, there was someth