Happy new year, Reader! As the poets say, it's "full of things that have never been." 🥂

And speaking of full things . . . I spent part of holiday break engaging in that traditional end-of-year expedition through closets and drawers to trash or recycle what I no longer need.

Let me be honest, though--I'm no Marie Kondo. Tidying up sparks dread in me, not joy.😳

However, the effort has its rewards.

'Cause I found something special.

Or rather, I re-found something special: a yellowing memo from 1988 with the headline "Reaching Our Potential."

It was a copy of a speech given by Pete, the founder/CEO the consulting company I once worked for—the company I consider I "grew up" in. He'd retired by the time I started, but somehow, this speech felt important enough for someone to share with me—and important enough for me to save all these years.

Here's why.

Pete's talk was titled "Reaching Our Potential." And while the first few paragraphs were around the firm's continued expansion (a growth wave in which they hired moi), most of the talk focused on this idea:

Here are a few lines Pete shared which I think remain powerful today:

"Is there anyone in the room who hasn't ever privately called themselves "a clutz," "stupid," or said to themselves, "you idiot, you're always losing things," or a hundred other self-reducing phrases? All of us have done this and whenver we do, we're taking a specific instance where we didn't operate well, didn't function well, and generalizing it.

By doing this, we are programming into our minds a negative thought--we're really not that competent, or we're careless with details."

He later says:

"Berating yourself isn't working. It isn't enabling you to be in the best state of mind to hit the next shot. And you do have a choice. It's okay to talk nicely to yourself."

"To reach our potential, it's important to realize that if we do what we've always done, we will get what we've always gotten. If we want something to change for us, WE have to change."

Can you relate, Reader? Are you getting in the way of your potential by talking yourself down, especially with all the January noise around "new year, new you?" Hit REPLY and tell me what you're hearing yourself say to yourself. (Sometimes just having permission to admit it helps us decide how to change it. When you write me, I can also share other tools and ideas, too.)

So if you're looking for a new years' resolution you can keep, maybe try this: I will talk nicely to myself. After all, the way you talk to yourself doesn’t just shape your own potential—it sets the tone for how you lead others, too.

Let's make it an amazing 2026! Thanks for being here.

Always, Darcy

​

P.S. Most people don’t fall short because they aim too low or try too little. They fall short because they let an unchallenged, outdated inner voice run the show. If that's you, I invite you to explore what a professional coaching relationship can look like to help you grow faster, lead better, and live a life at work that looks more like you. Schedule your consultation here, or hit reply and ask me your questions. It's time. HNY! -D

​