Don’t Wait for January

By Ellie Starr, Chief Executive Officer / Founder

Every year, we treat January 1 as if it owns the idea of a new beginning. New year, new you. Resolutions. A clean slate.

But September has always seemed to me the more natural time to begin again.

As the screen door of summer slams shut, we are catapulted into a new school year. There are new clothes, backpacks and supplies, accompanied by a particular kind of anticipation. The mornings grow cooler. The evenings begin earlier. The air smells different, and the first leaves start to turn.

For me, this season also brings Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins this year at sundown on September 11. At its heart, it is a time for reflection, renewal and deciding how we want to move forward.

Together, these signals make September feel like the season built for change.

But we often rush toward what is next before we have fully experienced—or understood—what is happening now. Halloween candy arrives in July. Back-to-school promotions appear before summer has found its rhythm. That isn’t renewal. That’s marketing.

Meaningful change asks something different of us. It asks us to slow down and look inward before moving forward.

This is as true for organizations and leaders as it is for individuals. Before setting the next goal or launching the next initiative, we might pause to consider what is working, what is no longer serving us and what we want to do differently.

What are we proud of? What might we have handled differently? What behavior should we stop—and what should we begin? What perspectives are we ready to release, and what do we want to carry into the season ahead?

Renewal is not something we resolve once and leave behind. It is a practice—one every September invites us to begin again.