The first week of the year is always a busy one for me. Lots of folks decide to make some kind of shift in their lives at the start of a new year, and some of them reach out for coaching support. This year, I’ve been struck by how many of the folks who have scheduled appointments are engaged in a deep rethinking of their lives and careers. This sense that so many people want to make major shifts in the way they organize their lives and their careers is much more pronounced than in past years.

Some are asking themselves whether they want to shift fields or industries. Some are wondering whether the role they are in is a good fit for their skills and interests. Still others want to make changes in order to live the lives they feel they are meant to live—whether that’s living in a more appealing location, figuring out how to work remotely, or wanting to achieve a better balance between work and the other components of their lives.

I was reflecting on the questions my new clients were confronting when I listened to an episode of the Harvard Business Review podcast, “Women at Work.” The hosts reunited with three women they had interviewed early in the pandemic: an opera singer from Texas, a woman in a corporate role in the UK who was furloughed early in the pandemic and then shifted to an entirely new role at her company, and another woman who had faced burnout as she tried to balance her corporate job with being a full-time caregiver for an ailing loved one. Like my clients, all three women were asking themselves important questions in the face of the big shifts we are seeing in our society, our workplaces, and our lives

One question in particular stood out. One of the guests asked herself: What does a “healthy and happy me at work” look like?

What a powerful question? It’s a question I’ll be posing to my clients in the coming weeks. It’s a question I’ll be asking myself. And so I will ask you, dear readers: what does a healthy and happy you look like—at home, at work, at play? That’s a topic for reflection as the year opens. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments or via email.

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay