While my grandmother’s assertion of Chinese lineage is questionable, I can’t stop thinking about the Lunar New Year and how the rabbit themes (this year’s Chinese zodiac) are resonating with me and this season of my life.

I keep thinking about Kimberly Young, who started the year encouraging me (and her followers) to “do less in 2023.” As a person who functions well with permission, I thought, “Yes! Do less.” As a person of action, I wasn’t 100% clear about what that means or looks like for me. But that resounding and confused “yes” was confirmed and backed by the year of the water rabbit.

The water rabbit represents calm and peace; it aligns with yin which emphasizes rest and quiet. But it’s not simply doing nothing in order to find peace and calm – it's about being strategic in how energy is being used, then reflecting and refining for ease. Undoubtedly the start of this decade has created an environment of unease, rapid change, and new expectations. While we continue to manage and respond to the ripple effects of the pandemic, I’m getting the signal that it's time to slow down and reflect on (evaluate) what we’ve done. I think we started to do more to adapt. One example is how virtual spaces boomed so we could remain connected; many organizations found virtual options opened access to new people, groups, and information. As we returned to a semblance of the world, some adaptations were easy to give up while others felt necessary to continue to be modern. But now that we’re “fully back to work,” it seems like we only added more to our plates and didn’t take anything away. Now it is time to slow down and refine for a more intentional and impactful bloom.

Another aspect of the rabbit is the theme of empathy and the nurturing of relationships. Over the last six months, I’ve had the opportunity to lead several in-person retreats and each group reflected on how nice it was to be together again. Additionally, they assert the need to continue engaging casually, for planning and for professional development. When you consider the current climate of the workforce, employees want to feel valued and respected at work and are now, more than ever, unwilling to compromise. And why should they? People like to talk and check in about work and non-work - how can we intentionally make space for people to do this on a regular basis? How does—or can— empathy show up in your organization’s culture?

Several strategic plans I’ve worked on in the past year had goals to collaborate for more organized efforts and build authentic relationships with communities. I think we can all agree there is more ease when doing something collaboratively; the “doing” gets spread out so no one person is solely reliable to make something happen. And I think the best collaborations will come from the relationships that are nurtured.

Another aspect of this lunar new year rabbit theme is the water element, signaling a “go with the flow” mentality. Again, not a call to completely let go but a signal to not fight the things that come up. Take the time to notice and be curious before moving to action. Remember and reflect on all the tools you’ve gained over the last few years and utilize them with more intention to overcome challenges and maneuver through constraints, such as water. Most importantly, it’s a reminder to take care of yourself in order to respond and act on what comes to you. After all, we cannot give our energy, if we have no energy to give.

I’m excited about this year and the things that will come from our perseverance over the last few years. If we move through the year with these themes in mind, the zodiac states it will be a year of great success.

TL:DR

• 2023 is the year of the water rabbit

• Do less through intention and strategy

• Reflect and evaluate all you’re doing to increase ease

• Make space intentionally for empathy

• Slow down and take care of self